Bittersweet
by gublercullen
Summary: Lori hits a girl with her car whilst out looking for Rick, no one, especially not Daryl Dixon, expected her to come with such a heartbreaking backstory, soon enough, Lila Belle Wyatt is someone that Daryl cannot ignore. Bad Summary, please read! Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

_So this is my first walking dead fan fiction, but I'm giving it a go! Gradually over the past couple of seasons I have fallen in love with Daryl, so I just felt like I needed to write this for my own enjoyment haha. But I really hope to like it, I know this chapter is short but the next few are a lot longer._

_Please review if you read, it means a lot to me and makes me update quicker!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anyone of anything to do with the walking dead, I only own my OC._

BITTERSWEET

Chapter One

The darkness was settling over the land, tears rolled down her face and she did her best to wipe them away as swiftly as she could. Nothing was certain anymore; she lived alone and in constant fear. All she had to carry was her backpack, she hadn't eaten in days and her water supply was running frighteningly low.

Her feet were bare and tired, she'd had to discard her shoes weeks ago whilst running away from walkers. She was weak and close to the end, there was no where left for her to run. That was when her eyes caught site of something in the distance, lights...they blinded her. She held a hand up to her exhausted eyes, trying to ignore the ache in her head. She looked back to the lights, a frown etched into her brow. That was when she realised it was a car, speeding towards her. The vehicle spun towards her, the side of it knocked her to the ground as it swerved off of the road into a ditch.

She lay there in darkness, the pain in her side too much to bear. Her eyes started to flutter uncontrollably, desperate to close. This was it…this was a moment she had waited for…the moment that she knew had been coming since this whole thing started.

Staring up towards the sky, she wondered how she'd got here. Sure the whole zombie apocalypse thing had had a sort of adverse effect on her plans, but how had she ended up _here. _She'd grown up in a prestigious family, a family that had been shipped outta their home town as soon as the virus started to spread…everything would have been fine if she hadn't ran away the night before. If she hadn't decided to leave her family, she could have been safe by now. Instead she'd spent the last two months being beaten and raped by a group who'd found her wandering the streets lost and without a weapon. Finally, she'd managed to escape…only to be hit by a car ten miles later.

"Can you hear me?" A voice sounded in the background, causing her to stir slightly. Her back ached against the cold, hard surface she was lying on; everything started to hurt the moment she tried to move.

"What's your name? Oh my god," Hands were on her now, running down her arms and legs, moving the hair off of her face and neck. She couldn't answer, instead she just began to panic, and her heart was thumping in her ears, she could hear herself whimpering, the pain was too much for her now.  
>"I have to try and move you off the road, it's not safe," The voice said, it relaxed her a little when she realised it was a woman's tone. The fear that her group had found her brought a relief that she couldn't even describe, she felt like crying.<p>

An arm reached beneath her, dragging her across the scratchy surface of the road, she felt like screaming with the pain that radiated within her, she couldn't even determine what hurt and what didn't. Blood seeped through her clothing, making her feel cold and shaky.  
>"What's your name?" The woman asked again, the girl's eyes fluttered open for just a moment, nothing but a blur was in front of her. She coughed a rattling sound that destroyed her throat and exploded in her lungs.<p>

"Lila," She spluttered after a matter of seconds, she felt a hand on her face, stroking her hair back.  
>"Stay as quiet as you can Lila, try and stay awake," The woman soothed again, but Lila was already gone, darkness filling her head and clouding her vision.<p>

Sound radiated around her, gunshots, shouting, another car appeared somewhere close by. The haze around her lifted just enough for her eyes to open momentarily, she prayed silently that it wasn't them, that they weren't coming to finish her off.

"What the hell happened?" A voice shouted, footsteps growing closer.

"She was in the road…I swerved but I still hit her, she hasn't moved," The familiar woman's voice appeared.

"Any bites?" A man asked, a strong southern drawl in his tone.

"None I can find, no fever," The woman replied.

"Are you alright?" The man questioned.

"I'm fine, help her!" The woman hissed in reply.

"Can you hear me?" The man asked.

"We need to get her to the farm, this place'll be swarmin' with walkers soon," Another man stated before lifting Lila up from the ground, carrying her towards the truck.

"What about Rick?" The woman asked, her footsteps halting.

"He's already back, come on," The man replied.

The engine started and the truck was on its way towards the farm, Lila lay in the back, someone making sure to keep her head still the entire time.

"What's your name?" A man asked.  
>"She said it was Lila, before she passed out," The female replied.<br>"Alright Lila," The mans voice, with the gruff southern accent began, "I need you to try and stay awake for me," He continued.

Her eyes fluttered open momentarily, all she could see was a scruff of dark blonde hair and icy blue eyes.  
>"Don't let them," Lila began, her throat trying to close with every word, "Find me," She finished, her hand gripping onto the man's arm with shear determination.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

_All I can say is WOW. Thank you so much to all of you incredible people who reviewed, favourited and alerted the first chapter. It means so much and I didn't expect such a warm reaction, I just hope I can live up to the hype and provide you all with some good reading material!_

_Enjoy, and thanks again!_

Chapter Two

Lila felt herself being lifted from the truck, strong arms tucked beneath her knees and around her torso. The man carrying her was walking fast, close to running.

"Oh my god, what happened?" An unfamiliar voice sounded in the background.

"Lori hit her with her car," The man replied, sounding annoyed.

"Is she alright?" Another voice asked.

"She had a bad knock to the head, arm's dislocated by looks of things. Hershel back?" The man carrying Lila answered, walking into the white farm house and up the stairs.

"No sign yet," Another woman answered.

"Oh god…can you get me some towels and bandages, please," The woman demanded. The warm arms left her and she panicked, the arm she had been holding solidly onto for the past hour had disappeared.

"Daryl, could you stay with her," The woman asked.  
>"I ain't no babysitter," Daryl replied with resentment.<p>

"Please," The woman continued, before she began speaking again, "I'm Maggie, Lila…I'm gunna take care of you as best I can until my dad gets back, okay?" Lila tried to nod, but the pain stopped her, warm tears fell from her eyes but as soon as her breathing began to quicken, a hand was on hers, warm and rough.

"We need to reset her arm…" Maggie said, an air of panic in her voice.

Daryl stared down towards the girl lying on the bed, her eyes would flutter open for just a moment before closing again, her long blonde hair was matted with blood and dirt, her skin pale and bruised. Some of the cuts and bruises looked days, maybe weeks old. Maggie gripped at the girls shoulder, while Shane held her arm in place, Daryl stayed firmly fixed at the girls side, his hand in hers.  
>"Count of three," Maggie stated, fear and sympathy in her eyes.<p>

"One, two, three," Shane called, quickly he pushed the arm back towards the shoulder, forcing it into the joint. The girl let out a blood curdling scream, her back lifting up off the bed for a moment as her breathing quickened in shock.

"You're alright, that's the worst of it over with," Maggie soothed, brushing her hair back from her face.

"There isn't anything else I can too until my dad gets back, I can bandage some of her wounds, keep eye on her through the night..." Maggie said.

Daryl looked back to the girl, so tiny and frail looking as she lay on the bed, now unconscious from the pain and he couldn't help but wonder what she had meant when she said not to let them find her.

"I'll watch her until Hershel gets back," Lori said, stepping in to take Daryl's place.

"Fine by me," He shrugged, standing up and exiting the room swiftly. Lori sat down, placing her hand on the girls as she waited.

"Don't worry about Rick," Maggie stated as she tended to the rest of Lila's wounds, "He'll come back." Maggie continued, Lori nodded in reply, but sadness still lingered in her eyes.

Lila groaned, her eyes opening to the bright sunlight shining in through the window in front of her. She tried to lift her hand to shield her eyes but struggled, one of her arms had been bandaged up into a sling and the other was bruised and swollen.

Sitting up with great difficulty, she examined her surroundings. Cautiously, she slinked off of the bed, the pain in her sides and legs was immense, not to mention the sharp pain in her head that clouded her vision slightly. She limped across the floor, opening the door into the hallway. Glancing up and down it, she couldn't see anyone but could hear voices coming from downstairs. She listened intently, moving closer to the staircase.

"Did she say anything else? Anything at all?" A voice asked.  
>"Nothin', just her first name," Another replied.<p>

"She won't be any trouble, she was wandering alone out there…she can't be much older than 20, we can't just send her back out there like a lamb to the slaughter." Lori's voice echoed, Lila very quickly realised that they were talking about her. She tried to step down another of the stairs, but a loud creak echoed throughout the house, Lila listened as silence filled downstairs, letting out an anxious sigh, she walked down the stairs, coming face to face with everyone stood in the sitting room.

"Hi," She lifted her hand in an awkward wave. For a moment, everyone paused, looking at her and then exchanging glances between themselves.

"I can go, if you wanna discuss my fate in private?" Lila laughed nervously.  
>Finally being able to put a face to a name, Lori stepped forward with a comforting expression, she walked over to Lila and lead her further into the sitting room.<br>"Sorry, Lila, we were just trying to figure out where you came from, we haven't seen any survivors for months," Lori stated.

"It's okay, I understand," Lila replied.

"What were you doing out on that road at night, alone," A man asked, his kind eyes meeting with Lila's. 

Everyone eyed Lila suspiciously, when looking past all of the cuts and bruises that patterned her skin, she had delicate features, her eyes a light green and her skin a sun kissed porcelain. Her blonde hair was messy and still matted with grime and some blood, it hung to her ribs in a thick wavy mane.

"Honestly, I don't know…" Lila shrugged, "I hadn't eaten or drank anything in days, you know what the heat's like out here, I was delirious…I don't mean to be rude or anything, but do you mind if go get some air?"

"Go ahead Lila," An old man smiled towards her and she nodded, turning and making her way towards what appeared to be the front door.

Lila stood on the porch, leaning on the banister as she took in a long deep breath. She watched the campsite, everything was so still and calm…a world of difference to anything she had seen lately. Then her eye caught sight of something, a man exited the barn across the grass, wiping his hands on his jeans. His muscles rippled beneath the skin of his arms, every inch of him kissed by the sun and dirtied with mud and grime. His hair was a dirty blonde colour and a stern look was planted firmly on his face. As he walked closer to her, his eyes lifted to meet hers, he continued walking up the steps to the porch before pausing.  
>"You feel better?" He asked, the question itself seemed to cause some kind of painful internal conflict as his eyes burrowed into her. Immediately, Lila recognised his voice, the man from the truck.<p>

"Yes, thank you," Lila replied hesitantly, her eyes moving from his.

"You were pretty messed up," The man continued.

"Thank you," She stated suddenly, causing surprise to fill the mans expression.  
>"For what?" He asked.<p>

"You were the man that carried me here, right?"

"How'd you know?" He frowned.

"Your voice, I recognised your voice, Daryl isn't it?"  
>"Right," Daryl's brow furrowed even more, as if that was possible, he hadn't expected her to remember him.<p>

"Lila Belle," She held out her hand, awaiting him to return the gesture. For a moment, he just stared at her small, pale hand as it shook in front of him, before he turned and entered the house, closing the door behind him, leaving Lila to stand there looking like an idiot. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd done something wrong or inappropriate, after all she hadn't really been around anyone normal for months, perhaps no one shook hands anymore. Perhaps this whole apocalypse thing had made people a lot less formal.


	3. Chapter 3

_I have been so nervous about posting thing chapter, but after the number of reviews I received for chapter 2, I thought it was unfair to keep it any longer! I've edited and edited and edited, and I feel that this chapter comes across how I wanted it to, but whether it'll be to everyone's liking…I don't know! _

_Just please keep in mind when reading, that some things with my OC may seem a little off…but trust me, I'm working on me big plot twists and a lot of character building, so bear with me! I really hope you enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think!_

Chapter Three

It was clear by the time that Lila had spent a few days at camp, that not everything was as perfectly calm as it had first appeared. It was also clear that by the look of things, no one had decided to kill her or ship her off into the woods.

She wandered around the farm, looking for the best place to set up the tent that Lori and Rick had given her. It was made clear after a while that Lila had been wandering aimlessly around America with little to no supplies, the fact that she didn't even have a tent surprised everyone. She laid out all of the components of the tent, her previously dislocated arm making the task ten times harder and by the time it came to pushing the poles through the layers of waterproof material, she was at a loss.

"You have got to be kidding," She groaned, allowing her head to fall forward onto the grass, the tent pole clutched in her good hand.

"Need a hand?" A rough voice sounded from behind her. She turned her head to the side to see Daryl already grabbing one of the tent poles and shoving it through the tent as swift as humanly possible.

"I blame my parents," Lila muttered.  
>"Huh?" Daryl grunted.<p>

"They never took me camping," She laughed, but Daryl's lips didn't twitch into any form of emotion.

"You ain't a people person at all are you?" Lila laughed, watching Daryl as he moved around the tent, he merely shrugged in reply.

"You were much more talkative when I was dying by the roadside," Lila raised an eyebrow in his direction and Daryl finally took a minute to glance at her, she noticed instantly the icy blue of his eyes and had to force herself to look away.

"You can't put up a tent, how the hell'd you survive out there?" Daryl asked absently.

"Sheer good luck and determination?" Lila smirked, folding her legs beneath her as she watched Daryl.  
>"No, get up," Daryl nodded towards where she was sitting.<br>"What?" Lila frowned.

"I ain't doin' this shit for ya, get up and learn somethin'." With that Lila looked around before standing up with a slight struggle with only one arm to balance her, she winced at the pain in her side but tried to ignore it. She walked around to where Daryl was stood and glanced up at him.  
>"You have my full attention," She smiled sweetly and Daryl just scoffed, shaking his head, she wasn't showing it but she was finding it difficult trying to talk to him, she held whatever worries she had deep inside her, ignoring the nervousness in her stomach.<p>

"This needs to be put in here for the tent to stand," He pointed out to the numerous tent components, "You tie that to that and it should hold its own. Peg it down, that's it." He listed.

"All of which will be easier with two arms," Lila grinned mockingly, Daryl glanced sideways at her. She couldn't help but stare at him a little, talking to him brought a heavy feeling to her chest, she was trying too hard around him – she was trying too hard to be normal and she knew he could sense it.

"Where you from anyhow?" He asked.

"New Orleans," Lila replied.

"How'd you end up here?" Daryl took note of how Lila's expression changed as soon as he began asking questions, her eyes left his and she moved around to the front of the tent, opening the door and glancing inside.

"Looks homely, right…nice empty…waterproof shell, excellent." A rustling in the field beside her broke her from her previous distraction and she stood quickly to her feet, her eyes wide with fear.

"Stay here," Daryl instructed, immediately pulling a knife out and walking slowly and carefully into the field, the long crop reaching his shoulders in height.

Whether it was stupidity, or the fact that she was so used to taking care of herself, Lila walked into the field after him, the rustling was closer now, the groaning soon followed. Lila's heart was thumping in her chest and she was shaking, with no weapon and an arm still strapped to her chest she wasn't exactly confident in her abilities, but why should she trust a man she didn't know with her life? That blind trust hadn't helped her so far. She soon didn't have a choice but to stay and fight, a walker had already spotted her, immediately moving quickly towards her. She looked around herself, picking up whatever was closest – which happened to be a fairly large rock. The weight of it caused her arm to ache but as the walker gained on her she stepped forward, putting all of her body weight into lunging towards its head. The rock caved in the walker's skull with the first blow, forcing it to collapse to the floor. She dropped the rock and instantly began kicking the things head until it no longer resembled anything but mush. Her breathing grew more and more irregular as she continued to kick the lifeless walker.

"Hey, hey," Daryl's voice called as he moved towards her, but he couldn't break her out of her hysteria, still she was kicking the shit out of the walker.

"Hey!" He yelled, his arm gripping onto hers and pulling her back. Instantly, she turned to hit him, but he caught her hand mid swing, holding it in front of her. He studied her blood spattered face as her eyes returned to their previous, soft expression, he could sense that her eyes weren't naturally that sweet and unassuming, something had changed in her. Her cheeks flushed pink and her gaze left Daryl's in embarrassment.

"You still planning on throwin' me one or can I let you go?" Daryl questioned.

"Sorry," Lila apologised, pulling her hand free from Daryl's.

"So you ain't as helpless as you look?" Daryl scoffed, walking back towards the farm house. Lila followed him, quickening her pace to catch up with him.

"I can't shoot a gun to save myself and I've never owned a knife but…I'm not defenceless, exactly," Lila laughed nervously.

"You can't just go stormin' off after walkers with no weapon, it's dumb as hell."

"Sorry," Lila replied.

"Quit apologising," Daryl hissed as his pace quickened, leaving Lila by herself.

That afternoon, Lila did her best not to agitate anyone in the group. Already she felt like an outsider, annoying everyone around her wasn't going to do her much good.

She walked through the farm, her feet bare as they padded along the soft grass. She'd missed the feel of grass; it felt like years since she'd last walked in a park or lay in the garden. Such relaxing pastimes weren't an option anymore. She reached the barn and traced the wood with her fingers, walking around towards the door she came to an abrupt halt. There was a rustling coming from inside, as if something were knocking against the floor. Her stomach tightened into anxious knots and she couldn't help but start to feel a little sick. Against her better judgement, she pushed her hands against the doors, peering inside, she couldn't see any walkers, but the noise continued. She stepped inside; the sudden cool cement beneath her feet was an awakening shock…but nothing compared to what she seen in the barn. The man was tied up, cloth across his eyes, his face bloodied and swollen.

"Holy shit," She muttered under her breath, her heart going a thousand beats a minute.

"Is someone there?" He asked, his hands still fumbling behind his back. Lila's mouth was dry and hoarse, she tried to speak but nothing came out…but it wasn't because she was shocked, it was because she was scared. The man's feet were no longer tied, the rope had been discarded beside him and as his arms began to move out from behind his back, she wanted to turn around and run for her life…but with all of her strength, she couldn't seem move.

The man reached up to his face, removing the blindfold, his eyes widened in a cruel smirk, blood still dripped from his nose.

"Surprise, surprise," He grinned and as Lila turned to run from the barn, the man caught up with her, gripping her by the hair, he pulled her to him.

"Please let me go, I swear I won't tell them I seen you escape, please," Lila begged, tears poured from her eyes in heavy streams as the man turned her around so that his face was just inches from hers. Memories of the past few months came flooding back to her and anger and disgust flooded her.

"You swore you wouldn't run away too…your promises don't count for shit little lady." As soon as his words had echoed in her ears, his mouth was on hers, forcing the taste of metallic blood into her mouth as his hands gripped at her breasts roughly, the pain causing her to whimper.

"Please, don't do this, please," She begged, "Not again, please!" Her voice was louder this time, but his hand soon took care of that – it came suddenly and heavily down across her face, knocking Lila backwards. She had no time to recover as he came down on top of her, pushing her onto her back, his hands roamed all over her, grabbing at the fresh bruises patterning her skin. The bruises his group had inflicted.

"Why'd you have to run away? You followed us home quick enough, weren't you pleased to be with a group? Please you weren't out there on your own?" His lips turned into a cruel sneer as his hand roamed up her thigh, tugging at her shorts.

"We protected you from walker's didn't we? Was it too much to expect a little something in return?" His was whispering in her ear now, she tried to squirm away but it did little good with his weight on top of her.

She knew she had one chance to get someone's attention, she took the deepest breath of air she could and let out a massive scream, surprising Randall for a moment before his hand crashed down across her mouth silencing her. He gave her a sudden punch to the side, causing her to curl into a ball on the floor. She turned over, trying to crawl away, her fingernails tearing away from her fingers and leaving a trail of blood on the cold floor, her previously dislocated arm was forced out of the sling and sent a wave of excruciating pain through her. His hands were on her then, violating her, she felt sick to her stomach and close to passing out.

The door was forced open, shattering against the walls as Daryl and Shane ran in, Rick followed quickly behind them, Randall was ripped off of Lila in one movement, by who, Lila didn't care. As quickly as she could she was on her feet, running out of the barn as fast as her stunned lungs could handle it. Someone attempted to grab her as she exited, but she ripped her arm away from him, sheer terror was blinding her. She didn't care if she was attacked by walkers, she didn't care if she died of dehydration or starvation or lack of goddamn blood. She just didn't care. All she knew was that she needed to get away from his hands.


	4. Chapter 4

_The response for the last chapter was so amazing! I cant thank everyone enough for the great feedback . Here's the next one, hopefully I keep developing the relationship to your liking! Enjoy, and let me know what you think!_

_Thanks!_

Chapter Four

The sight in the barn had been horrific, the idea that someone could try and act so innocent and then carry out a brutal act on someone, a woman, so suddenly five minutes later chilled Daryl.

"Where'd she go?" Rick asked as he tightened the ropes around Randall's arms and feet, placing the blindfold over his eyes roughly.  
>"I'll go find her, if she goes too far out she'll be some walkers lunch." Daryl replied, turning on his heel and jogging out of the barn, his crossbow slung over his shoulder.<p>

"What's goin'on?" Lori asked as she appeared from inside the house.

"Situation in the barn, keep everyone away from there." Daryl stated as he followed the trail of footprints out of the farm and into the woods. He paused as Rick jogged up behind him.  
>"I got your back," He said.<br>"You shoulda had hers…you shoulda had all of ours. Randall shoulda' been killed when we'd had the chance," Daryl spat, following the trail further out of the farm. Guilt gripped at his throat and he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Maybe he should've warned her about Randall in the barn, should have told her not to go anywhere near him. At least then Lila wouldn't be running like hell around the walker infested woods. He shook the thoughts from the forefront of his mind.

Lila was freezing, the sun was setting and it sent shivers over her skin. She had run for what felt like an eternity before she had seen something really worth finding. The cabin was nestled amidst the heavy trees and shrubbery, in perfect condition as far as she could tell. She glanced around, no walkers visible, she walked up to the door, she jiggled the door until it opened with a low creak. Slowly, she walked throughout the cabin. It was separated into two rooms, a kitchen living room and a bedroom off to the left. A bed, covered with pale blue sheets was messed up in the bedroom, the kitchen had been raided already, the cupboards almost bare, minus a few tins of soup. Slowly, she lowered herself down onto the floor, her back against the closed door. Her skin rippled with disgust as she thought about what had just happened, tears swelled in her eyes and she shivered, unable to control her emotions any longer.

Darkness clouded the curtained windows, nothing outside was visible except the dull silhouette of trees. Lila was awoken from her exhausted slumber by a rattling against the door. The only thing keeping it closed was her body weight, which in itself wasn't exactly enough to keep a horde of walkers at bay. Unable to move, her breathing grew erratic and panicked. She felt like an idiot for not washing the blood off of her dirtied skin, the scent would be enough to awaken the laziest of walkers. Lila looked around, unable to see anything to use as a weapon, she kept herself leaning against the front door as she felt around the kitchen cupboard closest to her, her hand came into contact with something solid and metal. She pulled it out towards her – a hammer, heavy enough to cause some lasting damage, she ran swiftly over to the kitchen table, moving it so that it was in front of the door managing to keep it from opening for a few minutes.

She huddled herself in the corner of the kitchen, the hammer clasped in her shaky hands as she prepared for the end. She had always known that she wouldn't last long on her own, but now, she hardly even cared. After everything she'd gone through – the months of abuse, mental, physical and sexual…she didn't feel like she could take anymore of what had become of this world. So with her hands shaking, her arms and torso bruised and bloodied, she prepared for the worst. The front door stopped moving, she quickly realised that it was no longer her main problem. Instead, she heard a screeching noise coming from the bedroom, footsteps sounded against the wooden floor, slowly, they made their way closer and closer. Her heart was thumping in her ears, she blinked away tears and ignored all of the physical pain she was feeling as she prepared to fight just one last time.

The figure came into sight seconds later, but it wasn't quite what she had expected. Panicking, she shuffled back using her hands, her back knocking against the kitchen cupboards as fear took over her, walkers she could cope with…but if it was Randall or one of the others, she couldn't live another day going through what they had put her through.

"You're alright." Slowly, he moved closer, his crossbow at his side, he held his hands up in defence.

"It's me, it's Daryl…from the farm." He continued, but Lila's chest was still tight, her breathing coming out in painful, ragged bursts.  
>"Have you been bitten? Scratched?" He asked, kneeling down in front of Lila; his eyes holding something close to sympathy. Scurrying backwards, away from Daryl, Lila shook her head - more tears rolled over her cheeks.<p>

"Sshh, sshh, you're alright, come on now," Daryl soothed as best he could, but Lila just continued to shake, the hammer feeling like it weighed a ton in her hands.  
>"Come on, gimme that," Daryl said quietly, his hand wrapping around the hammer and taking it from her, she let him remove the weapon without argument.<p>

"You're safe," He said again, trying his best to reassure her, but the fear was so evident in her eyes he couldn't help but feel bad that he hadn't thought to take one of the women with him, of course Lila was going to be cautious of him.

"I can't be near him again, I don't want to go back, please," Lila begged, her weak voice barely a whisper in the silence of the abandoned cabin.

"I won't let them hurt you," Daryl said, the sincerity and compassion in his voice surprised even himself, "None of us will," He corrected.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Lila whimpered, her voice small and delicate.

"No offense girl, but you didn't exactly tell all with us either," Daryl replied, "Come on, let me get you cleaned up so we can head back to the farm. They'll be worried sick about you."

Lila scoffed before she spoke, her lips were bloodied and starting to swell, "They don't give a shit. Why would they?" She frowned, her eyes locking with Daryl's, "I ain't part of this little cult you all have goin' on, I missed out on the group bonding cos I was busy being beaten to within an inch of my life. Your little group thinks it's got things so tough, they wouldn't know suffering if it hit them in the face." Her words stunned Daryl into silence, the way her voice had changed into something so robotic and cold was startling to say the least. He moved around beside her, sitting down and letting out a long sigh, he took note of the way Lila tensed beside him and he moved away from her a little.

"I ain't gunna argue with you on that one, Lila," Daryl said calmly, she was surprised to hear her name escaping his lips and turned her head to look at him, her neck aching in the process.

"Lori has her husband, her son…still she yearns for something more, Andrea is unnecessarily reckless, Rick is in a constant battle with himself and his morals. Shane doesn't even know where he stands half the time," Lila paused, laughing without humour, "I get that everything is frightening, you constantly live in fear that you'll lose someone or lose yourself. But there are worst things than fear."  
>"I'm sorry about what happened to you," Daryl said, he was busy fumbling with his crossbow.<p>

"This world went to shit, unless you're responsible for that you have nothing to apologise for." Lila laughed, shaking her head.

"We should get back to the farm, you need to get cleaned up, it ain't good to be sittin' around here for too long all covered in blood, walkers'll smell you from miles away."

"Gee, thanks," Lila replied sarcastically.

Daryl stood first, holding his hand out for Lila to accept, she hesitated, staring at it for a moment before accepting, her hand was cold and clammy in Daryl's. He pulled her up as gently as he could, but she felt as if everything in her body was bruised and swollen, the second she was standing, she pulled her hand from Daryl's.

The trip back to the farm was quick and without any trouble, Daryl had his arm tucked around Lila's waist, supporting her as she limped along. Bruises were obscuring her face and neck, he dreaded to think what the rest of her was like. She'd taken a huge beating and although she hadn't shown it during the walk, there was something in her eyes…something that made her appear almost broken.

The second they appeared at the farm gates, people began to make their way over to the pair.

"I don't want to-" Lila began, her voice hoarse and strangled, Daryl cut her off immediately.

"I know, I'll handle it, don't worry." He managed to walk Lila straight past the questioning eyes and into the house, he took her upstairs straight away, not talking to anyone. They reached the bathroom and he walked her inside, closing the door behind him. She watched as he set down his crossbow and locked the door, nerves rattled her stomach but once he began fumbling around in the draws and pulling out a bottle of antiseptic and some cotton wool and bandages, she felt a little less on edge. Lila sat down on the edge of the bathtub and Daryl knelt in front of her, he emptied some of the contents of the bottle onto the cotton wool and glanced back at Lila.  
>"This'll hurt," He said, almost asking permission, Lila nodded.<p>

Daryl moved her face to the side as he dabbed the soaked cotton wool onto her swollen, bloodied cheek bone. She hissed and jumped back, her eyes closed and a lonesome tear rolled down her cheek.

"Sorry," He apologised nonchalantly as he continued disinfecting all of the cuts on her face. Daryl couldn't help but notice the lead weight feeling in the pit of his stomach as he moved the cotton wool over her plump lips, they parted and reddened with the pain but he still found them undeniably attractive. But before he could get too absorbed in her features, tears filled her green eyes again, she glanced away from Daryl, he realised her hands were shaking and set down the bottle of antiseptic.

"Hey," He moved his head so that his eyes met with hers, reluctantly she glanced at him and he noticed that broken expression again, she was holding back what all of this had really done to her. He couldn't find the words to comfort her, he'd never been good at that sort of thing and that didn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

"I'm sorry," She breathed heavily, her chest heaving with sorrow filled sobs, "I just feel like I can't anymore, I can't fight."

"You ain't got no choice anymore darlin'," Daryl stated, his voice a little harsher than he'd intended, "Thas just what this world is now. Fight or die."


	5. Chapter 5

_Here we are everyone! Again, thank you for all the awesome reviews and the many alerts I received for the last chapter! You guys are so awesome, hopefully I can keep this up and you carry on enjoying the story _

_Don't forget to let me know what you think, thanks!_

Chapter Five

_Lila lay in bed, her eyes closed but her ears ready to catch the slightest sound. Footsteps sounded down the hallway, doors slammed and lights were turned off. She slipped out of bed, already clothed in jeans and t shirt, she grabbed the bag she had hidden in her wardrobe. She threw it over her shoulder and quietly tiptoed down the stairs, everything was in darkness._

"_Where are you going?" A voice appeared from behind her and she turned to find her younger sister stood, her eyes wide and confused. Lila moved over to her, she was shorter than her sister, even though her sister was only 16, she had the tall thin frame of a supermodel already. Lila smiled, her hand moving a lock of familiar blonde hair out of her eyes.  
>"I have to go," She said with guilt, "I can't stay here." Lila prepared for her sister's argument, but Ada only looked to the floor, her eyes filling with tears before she looked back to Lila.<br>"I know," Ada shrugged, "I'll miss you." _

_A tear rolled down Lila's cheek and she couldn't help but grip her little sister's hand even tighter._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Don't be," Ada smiled, she was always the strong one, wise before her years, "I understand. I love you," Ada wrapped her arms around Lila one last time before pulling back.  
>"I won't tell them anything."<em>

"_I'll try and find you again," Lila said, knowing that she probably would never see her sister again._

_As if reading Lila's mind, Ada laughed apathetically, shaking her head, "I know you will. Just don't kill yourself searching."_

"_I love you," Lila finalised, turning from her sister, who now looked far more vulnerable and frightened, "You'll be okay." Lila clarified before opening the door, walking out and closing it behind her. _

Lila jumped from her slumber, her breathing ragged and quick, her hands gripped at her throat, she felt as if she was choking. She couldn't help but look around the empty room, it was better than the chill of the tent outside at least.

She got up slowly, every bone in her body ached with tension as she walked down the stairs. She entered the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water from the jug on the table. She gulped down the liquid as fast as she could, anything to relieve the dry itching in her throat.

"Whoa," A voice sounded from the doorway and Glenn stood wide eyed.  
>"What?" Lila asked with a frown, pulling the glass away from her mouth.<p>

"You look awful," Glenn replied.

"Wow, thank you? Way to make a girl feel better," She said, setting the glass in the sink and having to hold her side when the pain struck her.

"Sorry I just…no one really knew how bad it was, we were worried about you," Glenn said.  
>Lila laughed, "Why?"<p>

"Because of what happened," Glenn's voice lowered, his eyes flashing from the ground up to Lila.  
>Suddenly, Lila was overcome with emotion, a feeling she couldn't put her finger on. It felt as if she was about to throw up and scream at the same time.<p>

She pushed past Glenn and walked out of the house, she stood out on the porch, her hands gripped around the banister. Her fingers were still bloodied from trying to claw along the cold cement ground of the barn, she closed her eyes, trying to forget the feel of his hands on her skin. She thumped her own hands down against the banister on the porch, the pain radiated through her wrists and up her arms.

"What's going on?" Shane asked as he walked towards the house. Lila's eyes lifted to meet his and immediately his expression changed.

"Everyone knows," Lila hissed between clenched teeth, again, her hands hit against the wooden ledge in anger. Shane didn't know what to say, she was right, everyone knew exactly what had happened, or, nearly happened, in the barn. They had had a long conversation about the situation when Lila had fallen asleep last night.

"It makes me sick," Lila cried, turning to face Shane, her hand was placed firmly on her stomach, she was clearly in pain.

"I guess you should know," Shane paused, running his hand back over his shaved head.

Suddenly, Lila's face dropped, an eerie calm seemed to take over her as she took a step closer to Shane.

"Know what exactly?" She asked.  
>"Randall's still in the barn." The words were quiet and final, Shane's eyes locked with hers in a moment of understanding. It took her only a second to walk fearlessly down the porch steps and across the grass, heading directly for the barn. As she past the fire pit, she picked up a piece of wood from the pile, a couple of people looked up to frown at her but she didn't stop walking.<p>

She pushed through the barn door with a vengeance, Randall had already been beaten up badly, she made sure to check the ties on his feet and hands were secure before she ripped off his blindfold. The second his eyes locked on the heavy piece of wood in her hand, his confident smirk dropped.

"Try anything funny and I'll rip you to pieces quicker than you can scream," Lila stated, her voice cold and calm. Randall's mouth was ajar in shock as he studied her, he did his best to squirm back from her but it was no use.

Lila swung the bit of wood directly into his side, knocking him to the ground.

"You piece of shit!" She yelled, swinging the wood into him again, "I hate you!" She continued, dropping the piece of wood as she lifted him back up again with difficulty, she stared directly into his swollen eyes, there was no cruel smirk or punishing expression left, instead, he just looked frightened.

"I hope you rot out there," Lila whispered before her fist swung into the side of his face in one steady swoop, her hand crunched with the pressure, but she didn't even flinch. Blood poured from his nose and mouth as she punched him just once more.

"I'm sorry," Randall spluttered, his face pressed against the ground. Lila began to walk towards the doorway, but turned around to look at him for just a second.  
>"You're not sorry. But you will be," Lila said, her voice sweet with sincerity.<p>

"I'm willing to bet that you were just a normal guy before of this happened," She said quietly and Randall's bruised and battered eyes lifted to watch her in curiosity.

"Had a family, friends…maybe even a girlfriend," She paused, her eyes meeting with his, "Do you ever wonder what they would say if they knew what had happened to you? What happened to your humanity? What happened to the boy they raised?" Silence filled the barn, nothing but shock and sadness was carried on the warm breeze.

"I wonder what mine would say," Lila scoffed, turning away from Randall.

"You're right," Randall's voice stated from behind her, he sounded weak and vulnerable.

"I wasn't asking for clarification. I just needed you to acknowledge that there was other options, you chose to destroy what was left of my life, as if the apocalypse wasn't enough – the world has people like you, ready and willing to kill off the scraps of humanity that the walkers haven't already eaten," Sarcasm was heavy in her tone as she looked back to him, "Like I said…I hope you rot."

She exited the barn, wiping the blood off of her hands and onto her already stained jeans, she had hoped to feel some sense of satisfaction, but there was just an emptiness dwelling in her stomach that she just couldn't seem to shift.

People watched her as she walked slowly and weakly past the campsite, she stopped where most of the cars were parked, just far enough away so that people would realise that she wanted to be alone. Lila fell to her knees, exhausted, a weight still hung on her shoulders. She let out an exasperated sigh and hung her head in defeat, nothing was fixed. Not one thing.

Daryl watched from the campfire, her hands were covered with blood, her knuckles split and weeping. Everyone knew where she had been heading, but silently, everyone had allowed her to go into the barn. Whatever she had done, it hadn't helped. He took note of how weak and tired she still looked as she knelt on the grass, her blonde hair acting as a shield so that no one could see her face. She could have worn a mask but everyone would still know that she was crying.


	6. Chapter 6

_Here's the next chapter, thanks again for all the reviews, they're really inspiring me to update as quickly as possible, hopefully I can keep you guys interested!_

_Enjoy and don't forget to review (:_

Chapter Six

It was still dark outside by the time Lila woke up, the sun was rising somewhere over the trees and the camp had a calm silence hanging over it. She had spent her night unable to keep her nightmares at bay; she had found herself awake and crying more times than one.

She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do from now on, she didn't feel as if she could stay at the camp with the others, something just felt wrong. Lila pulled on a pair of denim shorts from her backpack and a shirt before climbing out of the humid tent. The air was still cool with the early morning and she took a long breath in, savouring it. She felt like doing something – anything to keep her from thinking too hard. She was still limping, her right leg seemed to be unable to carry her weight and the bruises all over her legs and arms were growing darker and angry looking. She looked off towards the house, only to see that Shane was already sat outside on the porch steps, his eyes drifted off into the distance.  
>"Hey." The sound of Lila's voice caused Shane to jump and he turned to look at her.<p>

"What are you doin' up?" Shane questioned.

Lila shrugged, leaning against the banister, "Couldn't sleep. It seems to be getting harder and harder these days," She laughed humourlessly.

"You should be resting," Shane stated, standing up, his frame towering over Lila. For a second she had to fight the urge to run away, eventually she managed to push aside the fear that was building in her stomach.  
>"I don't need rest," She shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.<p>

"We're getting rid of him today," Shane began, "Getting him off the farm, Rick has some great plan to drop him off in the middle of nowhere."

Lila's expression changed completely, disappointment filled her eyes, "Guess what he did ain't worthy of the death sentence, huh?"

Shane drew in a long breath, running a hand over his tired eyes before he replied, "It ain't that Lila," He groaned, "Keepin' everyone happy in this group has become a tiresome expedition," Shane scoffed, "Rick's just trying to do the right thing."

Lila quickly interrupted him, "But you don't think it's the right thing." She finalised, causing Shane to raise his eyes to her.

"How'd you know?"

"Because yesterday when you told me he was in the barn, you expected me to kill him," Lila said quietly, "You wanted me to kill him, otherwise you wouldn't have let me walk in there."

"I wanted nothin'," Shane protested, stepping uncomfortably close to Lila, the proximity made her heart race and she could feel her throat closing. She wanted to run from him, she wanted to run a hundred miles away just in case he touched her – after all, what made him different to the rest of them? These days, how could you tell the good guys from the bad? She tried to shake the thoughts from the forefront of her mind and stepped back just a little.

"All I did was what everyone else in this goddamn place is refusing to do, I told you the truth!" Shane hissed, "Just cos I'm honest doesn't mean I'm responsible for your actions. You wanna go kill him right now? Fine. It ain't nothing to do with me," With that Shane walked straight past Lila. She quickly realised that this group had a lot more going on than it had first appeared…and not a lot of it was to do with her.

Breakfast was awkward enough without the added tension between Lila and Shane. Lila moved food around her plate for bout 20 minutes before someone decided to actually talk to her.

"Something bothering you?" Dale asked, his kind eyes peering across the table at Lila, he kept his voice low and private.

Lila jumped, her eyes reaching Dale's before she shook her head and let out a sigh, "I don't know," She ran a hand back through her hair as she spoke.

"Talking about it might help?" Dale suggested with a smile.  
>"I don't know what to do anymore," Lila said, "It's like I'm just stuck, I just don't know." She stared past Dale, her eyes blank and sad.<br>"It's easy to lose yourself these days," Dale replied, "There's no easy way to get back into things, you can easy fall into a pattern of surviving and nothing else." He finalised.

"I just want to feel something other than fear and exhaustion," She laughed apathetically, pushing her plate away and leaning back in her chair, "I can hardly remember who I was before this whole thing." She scoffed.

"Well, why don't you tell me about where you're from? About your family?" Dale suggested with a smile.

For a moment, Lila felt reluctant…but then something changed in her, a feeling in her stomach, an eagerness to speak.

Lila's lips lifted into a coy smile, "I had a big family," She began, fiddling with her fingernails as she spoke.

"Three brothers and two sisters," She added, her voice still lacking confidence.

"Wow," Dale laughed, "You're right, big family."

"Yeah…it got pretty hectic. Six kids running around the house, things are bound to be crazy," Lila paused, her smile didn't falter, instead, it gained a sense of sincerity, "For about seven years I was the only girl, the baby of the family. Then my sister came along, she was a firecracker from the second she arrived. Considering the age difference, we were inseparable a lot of the time. Everyone used to say it was like we were twins, just we'd been born years apart," She laughed, nervously massaging her sore shoulder.  
>"What's her name?" Dale asked, genuinely interested.<p>

"Ada…" Lila's smile began to fade, her eyes sensing the oncoming prick of tears, "Her name was Ada." Dale must have sensed her change in mood as he reached over the table, his hand gently clasped over Lila's and she locked eyes with him.  
>"Don't think about it that way, remember everything you just told me. It made you happy, talking about her?" He prompted, Lila couldn't bring herself to speak, instead she just nodded.<p>

"Happiness is an emotion that isn't fear…it isn't exhaustion. The key to feeling something is to reminisce, remember how things were and savour those memories. These days, happy memories are all we have."

Lila left the house as quickly as she could, Dale's words still etched in the forefront of her mind. She made her way to her tent, her hands grabbed her bag and pulled out the small box that was perched inside, she took a moment to breathe before opening it. Her fingers flicked the box open and she stared down at the delicate ring inside, the white gold merged beautifully with the green stone in the centre, her breathing hitched in her throat as the memories began flooding back to her. Without a thought, she shut the box and shoved it into the pocket of her jean shorts before thrusting the bag over her shoulder. Slowly she stepped back from her tent and glanced at her arm, still strapped up to her chest. Lila gripped the bandage and unravelled it, a dull ache shivered over her bones as she tossed the bandage aside, examining her shoulder which had changed to a purple-blue colour. Everything was still painful and delicate from the attack, and her legs hurt from running away from camp, but she wasn't sure she cared anymore.

"Goin' somewhere?" Daryl asked with a frown as he appeared from behind her. Lila jumped with fright, but quickly adjusted her breathing and stepped back from him, staring towards the ground.

"I'm taking some time," Lila replied vaguely.

Daryl raised an eyebrow in question, "Takin' some time to what, exactly?"

Anger boiled within Lila and she couldn't help but shake her head, "Just cos you saved me from being walker bait doesn't mean you have the right to keep tabs on me."

"I ain't keeping tabs on you, but a girl like you'll last two seconds out there these days," He pointed out.

"So? What's it to you if I become someone's next meal?" Lila scoffed, shaking her head and walking past Daryl, "I've got shit to do and I don't need you or anyone else keepin' track of me, I'll be back if I'm back, if not, ain't nobody left to cry about it." With that, she was gone, Daryl watched with resentment as her boots hit confidently against the dry soil as she left the farm, slamming the gate behind her.

"Screw her," He muttered under his breath, knowing there was no one to hear him…honestly, he only spoke the words to try and convince himself.

Still, a knot twisted in his stomach, but just like he'd always been taught to do, he ignored it.


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry it's taken longer than usual guys! I was unsure about this chapter whether to make it longer and include a little more Daryl…but I went with my gut and decided that it worked better this way…there will be plenty of Daryl to come!_

_Enjoy and please let me know what you think!_

_xx_

Chapter Seven

After six hours of walking, Lila couldn't help but feel a surge of relief when the town came into view…or to be exact, what was left of the town. Each building was run down and abandoned, as if it had been years, not months, since the epidemic had started.

Immediately, Lila was disturbed by the silence that surrounded her. She looked around, making sure that she was alone, before she pulled her backpack from her shoulders and set it in front of her. The pavement burnt her knees as she knelt down to look through her things. She dug out a piece of paper with directions on it, as she looked at the messy handwriting and stains covering it, she couldn't help but get a lump in her throat. She pushed the thought of his dark eyes and raven hair from her mind and tried to concentrate on where she was supposed to go.

The centre was just a few minutes up the road, as far as she could tell…but right now, she didn't have much hope. She picked up her bag and jogged up the road, hoping that she had understood the directions he had given her correctly. Soon enough, the tall metal fencing came into view and Lila was brought to an abrupt halt. Cars had been abandoned, patches of earth were burnt black, the remnants of whatever or whoever, lay limp on the ground. The building was cold and empty looking, as she had expected. Fear filled her stomach and she closed her eyes for a minute, her arm pressed against her eyes she tried to cry quietly, but couldn't. She stomped her foot down in anger – anything to release some of the pent up emotion just bursting to get out. She bit down on her hand as a scream threatened to rip from her throat, tears swelled in her eyes and she cursed her last ounce of hope. She had been so entirely stupid, it was ridiculous to believe that any promised salvation would still exist. The world had gone to shit, what had she expected when she'd arrived? A parade of happy, settled people just waiting for her to get there? She wondered if deep down she'd expected him to be waiting for her, perched by the gates, a gun in hand, a toothpick swirling between his teeth and a smirk playing on his lips. She clasped her hands over her eyes as she realised the truth, she had been waiting all along to see him again, somewhere inside herself, she was deluded enough to believe he was still alive…but more importantly, she was insane enough to think he had made it to this godforsaken town.

She leaned against the metal fence and let out a quiet sob, unable to keep it in any longer. Her fingers laced with the wire, it burned her hands from spending so long in the open Georgia sun. Taking a long breath in, she did her best to calm down, this was stupid – she couldn't just hang around in the hope that maybe someone else would turn up and rescue her. It didn't work that way anymore. She needed to build herself up and prepare to survive at least one night alone.

Her eyes opened and she let out an involuntary scream. A walker had shuffled across the ground, its decaying fingers pulling against the metal fencing. Lila jumped back, cursing herself again for being so stupid. She walked backwards, away from the walker, praying it was the only one she would have to deal with. Its legs were broken and bloodied, so at least she knew that speed was on her side…this was a relief, until her eyes met with the absent irises of another.

"Shit," She whispered to herself, slowly, she crouched down to her hands and feet and crawled along the ground, below the view of the walker with legs. Both walkers were wearing a uniform of some kind, they had maybe been security guards or police officers. Lila came to a stop behind an abandoned police car, she had just a few moments to figure out what the fuck she was going to do before she became walker bait. Her breathing was heavy and ragged as the sun pelted down on her head, she had no choice but to grab whatever she had and make a run for it. She looked over to where the crawling walker was making its way over to her, the other one would follow very quickly, she knew there was a chance she was just minutes away from being bombarded.

Her eyes scanned the ground before turning around to peer beneath the police car, she spotted the walker making its way towards her. If she could get passed the two walkers, she could run towards the building and find what she was looking for…at least if she killed whatever was outside, it would give her time to hunt for a real weapon.

"As if it'll make a difference right now, God…if you're around, could you maybe give me a hope in hell of getting out of this shit heap with a pulse?" Lila muttered sarcastically before she removed her boot, gripping the thick leather in her hand she held on for dear life. She leapt to her feet and ran as fast as possible towards the legless zombie, she crashed the heavy heel down against it's skull in one swift movement. It didn't stop moving straight away, so she brought the now ruined boot down a second time, a third and then a fourth, until the skull cracked beneath the weight and the walker came to an abrupt halt. Lila turned just in time to spin the boot into the other walkers face, knocking it back. It stumbled clumsily away from her and she took this time to swing at it again, the boot spun from her grip before she could stop it. This time, it only skimmed the walker before falling to the ground, leaving her defenceless. Although the zombie seemed stunned, it quickly recovered, lunging towards Lila in one movement, its dead hands clutching at her clothing. In one last attempt at survival, she swung her fist into its temple as hard as she could. Luckily, it lost its balance and fell to the ground, giving her just a short moment to clamber on top of it, grab a fistful of its hair and force its skull into the hot concrete below. Twice was enough for the weakened skull to split, but she made sure to keep going until she was sure the dead wasn't going to return for a third time.

Weakly, she pushed herself up from the ground, the adrenaline was wearing off and the heat was kicking in, she stumbled before walking over to her abandoned, bloodied boot and picking it up. She stared at it with a frown, dark, congealed blood dripped from the leather and she couldn't help but gag as she pulled it back on. She stared around and with no more walkers in sight; she grabbed her backpack from beside the police car and walked past the still walkers. It was then that the strap around their hips caught her eye. The black fabric was held tightly in place with a large buckle, a black handle poked out from the holster. Lila walked over and pulled the object from its case, she grinned to herself – a police baton. The baton was heavy in her hand and she couldn't help but feel a sense of pure relief. She pushed her thumb against the release button as she swung her arm down, extending the expandable baton to its full length.

"Finally," She smiled to herself, "A little bit of good luck for Lila," She took the holster from the officer and clasped it around her own hips, having to tighten it to fit, before repeating the action with the second walker. Once done, she couldn't help but feel a lot more prepared for whatever lay ahead.

With an extended baton in each hand, she made her way towards the main building. Her heart thumped in her chest and she tried her best to block every memory of him from her mind. It was just her now. If she wanted to survive, she'd have to do it alone.


	8. Chapter 8

_Here we go guys, the next chapter! I worked solidly on this to make sure I felt it was just right so hopefully you enjoy it! Daryl reappears in the second half of the chapter and from here on out he'll be in every chapter (give or take one or two) and I'm going to be doing my best to build his relationship with Lila._

_Enjoy and don't forget to review!_

Chapter Eight

Lila walked slowly but surely around the outside of the building. Her hands still gripped tightly around the police batons she had managed to steal from the two undead security guards.

The butterflies in her stomach were causing her hands to shake and her skin to grow cold and clammy, she couldn't do anything but push the thoughts of what she was doing out of her head. Lila knew that she was being stupid expecting there to be a radio just sat inside, going by the state of the building it was likely that there was nothing but corpses filling the place. She pushed the side door open with ease, peering inside she analysed all that she could see – a long hallway with a darkened staircase at the end of it, garbage covered a lot of the floor and all of the doors and windows looking into the separate rooms were closed and covered…Lila had a feeling that the internal windows being boarded up from the outside probably wasn't a good thing.

The first room she entered was empty and surprisingly tidy, a dirty desk was sat in the centre, papers covering it, a telephone that had been long out of service was lying limp and abandoned. Lila turned, her eyes meeting with the large map that covered one wall; it detailed the entire layout of the building. Immediately, Lila paid attention to the second floor, the smartest thing for a bunch of survivors to do would be to get up off the ground if they were hiding out, meaning if anywhere, the radio would be up there. Lila exited the room and jogged along the hallway before climbing the stairs, she listened carefully for any groaning or shuffling but soon determined she had no choice but to just go for it.

Her legs carried her up the stairs and along the upstairs hallway. One walker was huddled in the far corner, the door to the room was open and more walkers were visible inside.

"Fuck," Lila muttered to herself as she retraced her steps backwards, hoping that the walker wasn't about to turn around and see her. Her foot came down on the dirtied wooden floor with a creak and an eerie silence took hold of the hallway – the walker turned around unsteadily to face her, its jaw was broken and hanging off to one side, its eyes were dry and cold. With little other choice, she ran down the stairs, her feet beating down on the dusty floor with determination. She could hear the walkers above her, she needed to get out before they found the stairs. That was when the huge clatter came from the locked room beside her, the one with the boarded up windows. She clambered up, her hand gripping onto the windowsill as she pulled herself up to look through the small space between wooden planks. Her heart stopped, her blood ran cold and she couldn't seem to remove her eyes from the scene set in front of her. The window to the outside had been shattered, walkers were crawling over each other trying to get out – it seemed like going outside wasn't really her best idea, at least not anymore. Although it seemed like she didn't have much choice when she turned around to see the walkers from upstairs making their way clumsily down the stairs and towards her.

"Fantastic," Lila muttered to herself, she ran out of the building and along the wall – she peered around the corner but immediately jumped back, her eyes clasped tightly shut. Walker's were running towards something, they spread like wildfire around the abandoned cars and trucks. It had been easy being in a life or death situation last time, when Lila hadn't had a chance in hell…but now, she couldn't help but feel like she just had to get out of this alive, she wasn't allowed to give up because she'd been given a chance at a normal existence…or at least as normal as one can get during the apocalypse. She'd been stupid to leave the farmhouse – she recognised that now.

Lila waited for the majority of the walkers to wander off towards whatever had caught their attention, when just two or three of them were left, she ran towards where the broken window was. She slammed one of the police batons into the first walkers head and repeated the action several times – she swung swiftly around in time to do the same with the next walker before she found a minute to climb up through the broken window, making sure not to catch herself on the shattered glass. She managed to kill off the last couple of walkers in the room, they had clearly been the ones that were trampled by the others and they lay weakly on the ground, reaching out to Lila's ankles.

She examined her surroundings again, making sure nothing else was moving around looking to eat her. It was then that she noticed the door off to the side, she walked over instantly, pressing her ear up to the wood as she listened for any signs of the undead. The door opened, it was a large cupboard, a small window allowed some light to flow in, illuminating the room. Her eye caught the radio instantly; she fell towards it, her hands immediately pressing any buttons she could find. The light flashed green as she picked up the receiver.

"My name is Lila Belle Wyatt, my family were evacuated from New Orleans when the virus started to spread, I'm somewhere outside of Atlanta, Georgia, maybe fifty or sixty miles…I don't know…" She spoke, her hand clasped to her sweaty forehead as she tried to think of what to say…why had she gone through all of this trouble? What had she expected?

"I repeat, my name is Lila Belle Wyatt. I'm somewhere outside of Atlanta, about 50 or 60 miles East…" She clicked the button off a second time as she waited for a reply, but nothing but static sounded from the radio. A loud banging against the cupboard door caused Lila to jump back from the desk, the groaning and scratching was too familiar and she instinctively pushed one of the shelves up against the door. It was only then that her eyes came into contact with the boxes on the shelves. This hadn't just been a cupboard full of cleaning supplies…she picked up one of the boxes and opened it up to find it was filled with ammo. Her eyes widened, but she didn't have time to enjoy her good fortune, instead she just started filling her backpack with the boxes before opening the window and climbing out. The walkers were scattered around but seemed fairly preoccupied with…Lila took a moment to stare towards the school bus, someone was inside, someone that looked a hell of a lot like Shane but not just that, Rick was running away from the bus, leaving him for dead.

She beat her way through two walkers before she ran towards the school bus, her eyes met with Shane's and she could see he was terrified. Her hands rattled at the emergency door, but she couldn't break it open. As more and more walkers began to notice her, she thought she was going to have to run for it and leave Shane behind…this must have been clear by the look in her eyes as Shane began to shout.

"No! You can't all leave me here!" He yelled.

"Who are you with?" Lila yelled back, wanting some clarification that it had been Rick she'd seen running away from the bus.

"Rick, look Lila, I ain't really got time to chat," Shane hissed in reply.

Lila forced herself against the door again until it finally gave way. Shane clambered out just as the SUV swerved towards them.

"Get in!" Rick yelled from the driver's seat, Shane climbed in but Lila paused, looking back towards the walkers, she gave in and got into the SUV with little other choice.

"Fancy telling me what the hell you're doing out here?" Lila asked as soon as they sped away in the SUV, Rick looked back towards her momentarily, a frown on his brow.

"And what exactly did I just witness?" She asked, "You leave all your friends for dead, Rick?"

"It's complicated," Rick mumbled, his foot pressing harder on the accelerator.

"Why were you out here?" Lila asked a third time.

"Why were you out here?" Shane asked and immediately Lila realised she probably had some explaining to do.

"It's complicated," She mimicked Rick's tone, crossing her arms and slumping down in the back seat as they drove back towards the farmhouse.

The SUV came to a halt outside of the farmhouse and Lila was the first one to get out, a few people appeared as she turned to look towards Rick, who had moved around the back of the vehicle and was opening the trunk. It was only then when she caught a glimpse of the man inside.

Her jaw locked and she instantly reached for one of the police batons that were tucked away in their holsters. She flicked it to its full length as she stormed towards where Rick stood next to a cuffed Randall.

"Do you have any decency?" Lila shouted towards Rick, her hands shaking with anger.

"What was I supposed to do? Tell you he was in there? You'd have never gotten in the car," Rick replied calmly, Lila was standing just inches from him now, her green eyes looking up to him with a stern expression, Shane held Randall in place.

"Tell the truth, explain why you both look like shit, explain that you chose that piece of shit over Shane. Explain everything, then see how fucking noble you look."

Lila stepped back from Rick and looked over to Randall.

"I'll kill him," Lila stated matter of factly, "If you don't do whatever the hell your morals will allow you to do to him, I'll kill him. And I wont be doin' it quietly," Lila stated, "Oh and by the way," She pulled her backpack filled with the salvaged ammo from her back and threw it across the ground towards Rick and Shane as the others looked on, "Merry fucking Christmas." And with that, Lila turned around, her head down as she walked away from the others, pushing passed everyone in an attempt to get to her tent.

Lila sat outside her tent, her back up against a tree and a bucket of water between her legs as she scrubbed the police batons clean. She heard footsteps coming in her direction and lifted her eyes to look at the intruder.

"New toys?" Daryl stated sarcastically as he walked past her, sitting himself down on the ground next to her.

"I'm not in the mood," Lila replied.

"Brought this back," Daryl put her backpack on the ground in front of her and she glanced at it momentarily.

"That what you went back for?" Daryl questioned, trying to meet Lila's eyes, "The ammo?"

Lila shrugged in reply, her scrubbing grew even more furious.  
>"Seems a bit stupid, to go running into a walker infested buildin' to look for a few cases of ammo just to give to a bunch of strangers."<p>

Lila put the police baton down and turned her head to look at Daryl, it was only then that she realised the close proximity, his warm breath tickled across her face and she tried to hide her nervousness.

"I didn't go to get the ammo, it was just a pleasant surprise. Figured it'd come in handy," She replied quietly. Daryl's eyes traced across her jaw line, down her neck as he studied the beads of sweat pooling at her collarbone, he swallowed hard as he glanced away from her.

"I'd have killed him by now," Daryl said, standing up from the ground.  
>"What?" Lila frowned.<p>

"If it had been up to me, Randall woulda been dead already." He began to walk back towards his tent but Lila felt a sudden urge to stop him.  
>"Wait!" She called, causing Daryl to turn around to face her, he was biting down on his nails as his eyebrow raised in question.<p>

"What now?" He asked.

"I thought maybe…" Lila began, trying to think of something to say, "I thought you could teach me to shoot tomorrow." Instantly she cursed herself, he'd never go for something so stupid, why would he waste his time?

"Fine," Daryl replied, causing surprise to echo in Lila's expression as she watched him walk away.


	9. Chapter 9

_I'd just like to say a huge thank you to the following members for all the lovely reviews they've given me:_

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_Thank you all so much, every time I get a review it spurs me on to write some more and I'm glad you are all enjoying my story!_

Chapter Nine

The sun was high in the sky and the clouds were non-existent. Lila climbed out of her tent and stretched her arms up above her head. The camp was already bustling, with people wandering around doing whatever jobs they had to do.

Lila pulled her hair up into a pony tail as she rolled her hand over the back of her neck. She walked across to Daryl's tent, he was sat outside cleaning the gun he held in his hand, re-attaching pieces quickly and efficiently.

"Morning," Lila smiled as Daryl raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Ready?" He asked, standing up from where he had been seated, his form towered over Lila and she stepped back a little. Daryl just nodded, handing the gun he was holding to her, she stared down at it for a few moments before meeting Daryl's eyes.

"Go on, I ain't standin' here all day," He thrust the weapon towards her and she nervously took hold of it.

"I didn't think you'd just be throwing a gun my way like, immediately," Lila said, her voice sounded just as anxious as she looked.

"How you gunna learn to shoot without holdin' a gun?"

"I don't have an answer for that…" Lila stated, staring down at the gun.

Daryl walked passed her shaking his head, Lila turned around and followed him – having to jog to keep up with his pace.

"I'm sorry, I just…I don't know anything about guns, I'm nervous, I swear I'm not an idiot," She babbled senselessly, watching as Daryl continued towards the woods.

"Stop yammerin' and hurry the hell up," He called from in front of her, Lila quickened her pace and finally reached his side.

"Where we goin'?" She asked.

"We cant go shootin' so close to camp,"

"And shooting in the woods is so much safer?" She frowned, but Daryl ignored her. Lila had no choice but to follow him without argument, so she just stared down at the gun in her hands and let out a long sigh, what had she been thinking?

They reached a clearing in the woods and Daryl came to a halt, he held his hand up to shield his eyes from the sunlight before he began to speak.

"This'll do," He stated, walking over to one of the trees, he pulled his knife out from its holder and marked a cross on the bark of a tree.

"That'll kill the tree you know," Lila said and Daryl turned to raise his eyebrow at her.

"You some kinda tree hugger?" He scoffed.

"No…just saying…" She mumbled, Daryl walked over to her and took the gun from her hands; she tried not to pay attention to how close he was to her. She hadn't really noticed how much bigger he was than her, she found herself staring up at him as if she were just two foot tall.

"It's loaded so be careful," He said as he moved behind her, "You wanna move your arms up until you think it's in line with the target, pull this catch here back and pull the trigger." Lila nodded nervously in reply as she raised her arms, trying to steady them as she pulled the catch back and squeezed her trigger finger a little.

"Harder, pull it like you're about to get bit." Daryl said sternly, with that Lila pressed as hard as she could. The noise rattled out amidst the trees and she flinched back, her shoulder bumping into Daryl's chest.

"Can you tell me one thing that was good about what you just did?" Daryl asked as Lila turned to look at him.

"Nothing," He added, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked towards the untouched mark on the tree.

"Here," He sighed, suddenly he was moving Lila around, placing her in line with the tree in front of her. His arms were around her arms, his hands held firmly around hers as he peered over her shoulder, she was momentarily distracted by the musky, intoxicating scent that filled her lungs, his rough, stubbly cheek was pressed against hers as he pointed the gun towards the cross on the tree. His hands held hers in place before his finger forced hers down on the trigger, the gunshot echoed out a second time, but this time Lila didn't flinch…she was too terrified that any movement she made would scare him away and she wasn't ready for him to move just yet. Something was comforting, the gentle nature of his grip on her was such a drastic change from anything she'd felt in the past few months. Her ears were ringing with the gunshot, but all she could concentrate on was the sound of Daryl's breath as it bushed past her ear.

"I suppose that's how you do it," Lila stated quietly.  
>"Sshh," Daryl hissed in reply.<p>

Lila frowned, but followed his line of sight until the movement caught her eye, she flinched in an attempt to get free from Daryl and run away but he kept her locked in place, his arms tightened around her and she cursed the circumstances for ruining the sensation.

"There's just the one, it ain't noticed us yet," He whispered and Lila could feel her cheeks flushing pink.

"Aim just like I showed you," Daryl instructed as he assisted just slightly, his hands guiding hers until the walker was in the line of fire.

"What if I miss?" Lila asked, fear clear in her voice.

"If you were alone and this gun was the only thing standin' between you and ten walkers…there ain't no what if, you don't have that choice," His voice was still low and gruff in her ear and she was struggling to concentrate.

As he had instructed, she followed along the barrel of the gun, trying her best to aim as exact as she could, but it was a lot harder with a moving target. Her finger tensed against the trigger and the bullet grazed the walkers shoulder – it stumbled backwards but soon locked eyes with Lila. Fear filled her as she pulled away from Daryl, forcing the gun upon him.

"You have to do it, I'll get us killed!" She said, panicked.

Daryl however just stepped back, as calm as ever, "Just you and him, you cant miss," He stated but Lila didn't have time to argue, by the time she turned back to the walker it was already limping towards her, its legs were weak and frail looking, making its movements slow and unsteady. She pointed the gun at it and prayed that she hit it, the first time, the bullet once again merely grazed it…this time the walker barely flinched.

"Come on, you or him, choose!" Daryl called from behind her, Lila took a deep breath and shot again at the walker, she could hardly believe her eyes when its limp body fell to the floor.

"Good," Daryl said, sounding almost pleased. Lila watched as he walked across to the walker and dug his knife deep into the back of its head, she looked away, instead choosing to look at the gun in her hands.  
>"You could've gotten us killed," She said as Daryl walked back over to her.<p>

"What? Don't you trust me?" His lip twisted up into a smirk for just a second before he fell back into his normal scowl.

Lila laughed apathetically, "Should I?"

Daryl's eyes met with Lila's as his hand reached for the gun in her hands, but Lila pulled back.  
>"Come on, give it," Daryl said, his hand held out in front of him.<p>

"Not until you tell me why I should trust you," She smiled, finding the whole situation all too amusing.

Daryl wiped a hand back over his forehead and through his hair.

"Come on girl I ain't got time for this," He took a step closer to her but she once again stepped back.

"The world ended, you got all the time in the world," Lila replied, unable to keep her amusement from her tone.

Daryl stayed still for a minute, but then lunged towards her, she tried to dodge out of the way but he changed his tactic at the last minute and she came crashing into his chest. His hands wrapped around her arms, holding them behind her as he pulled the gun from her hands. Her body was pressed up against his, nothing but the sound of their feverish breathing in the extreme heat of the enclosed forest between them.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you for all the reviews, keep em coming!_

_Enjoy!_

Chapter Ten

As they walked back towards camp, there was an air of calm between the pair. They made their way over to the tents but Daryl came to an abrupt stop.

"Come on," He said, nodding for Lila to follow him. He began walking towards the camp vehicles.

Daryl came to a halt at his bike and rummaged through the limited storage, Lila watched in confusion as he searched for whatever it was he was looking for.

His hand clasped around the cool metal and he pulled the small handgun from its holster before presenting it to Lila.

"Here," He said, looking towards her and urging her to take it from him.

"I know I put up an argument in the woods but I was only kidding, I can't take that," Lila said in disbelief but Daryl didn't listen. Instead he just grabbed Lila's hand with one hand and placed the gun in the open palm with his other. He made sure she tightened her grip around it before he stepped back.  
>"Don't go shootin' up a storm back at camp, keep it hidden, use it in emergencies only," He said, "And this don't give you the power to go runnin' around conquerin' your own missions like you did the other day. Look after it." With that he began walking towards the farmhouse.<p>

"I can't Daryl," Lila argued as she jogged towards him.

"Yeah you can," He argued in return, "It ain't doin' no one no good sat in there, might as well be someone lookin' after it."  
>"I can't even shoot!" Lila laughed.<p>

"Oh you can shoot," Daryl scoffed, biting down on his nails, "You just ain't very good at it." He paused and Lila noticed that his eyes moved down her figure for just a split second before he corrected himself and turned away.

"This your way of getting me to trust you?" Lila called after him.

Daryl didn't turn around to face her, he just kept on walking as he spoke, "I never said you should trust me, probably a smart thing you don't."

The farmhouse was bustling as Lila made her way into the kitchen, Lori met her eyes and smiled.

"Hey," Lori said, brushing her hands down her jeans, "How you feeling?"

Lila shrugged, folding a strand of blonde hair behind her ear before she answered, she started to realise why she liked talking to Daryl so much…he didn't constantly ask her how she was or if she needed anything et cetera, et cetera. Lila appreciated Lori's concern, but all she truly wanted to do was forget about everything that had happened.

"I'm fine," She smiled awkwardly.

"Well if you need anything, you know where I am," Lori smiled sympathetically before putting a hand gently on Lila's arm for just a moment.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Lila asked, walking further into the kitchen and staring at the pots and pans spread around the place.

"You could start plating up if you like, it seems like sometimes we just don't do it quick enough," Lori laughed, "We end up with everyone piling in on top of us grabbing for whatever they can find."

Lila laughed as she ladled what looked like another serving of squirrel stew onto the plates in front of her.

"We figured everyone could do with a good sit down meal, things have been sort of stressful lately," Lori said quietly as they each prepared plates.

"You mean more stressful than doomsday?" Lila scoffed.

"I know right," Lori replied, shaking her head, "Everyone's just so on edge."

Everyone sat down to dinner with solemn expressions on their faces, the pressure to make polite conversation was far too much for Lila and she found her eyes wandering around the table – she did notice one thing, Daryl was no where to be seen. Lila stood from the table with a smile, taking her plate and walking through to the kitchen.  
>"Where you going?" Shane asked, a frown wrinkling the bruises on his forehead.<p>

"I wanna eat outside, that okay with you?" Lila replied with a sarcastic laugh, causing a few smirks from those sitting at the table.

She quickly grabbed another plate from the kitchen and made her way outside. She walked towards Daryl's tent, the sky was dark and the lantern in his tent could be seen from the doorway.

"Knock knock?" She smiled as she pulled the tent door aside to find Daryl lying on his make shift bed, a book in hand, his vest had been tossed aside and his chest shone a golden hue beneath the dull light of his lantern. He quickly sat up, putting the book down as he frowned towards Lila.  
>"Everythin' alright?" He asked, clearly confused.<p>

"Yeah…I just noticed you weren't at dinner, thought I'd bring you something," She smiled, awkwardly stood at the tent door. For a moment, Daryl didn't speak, he just stared at Lila as if she were a crazy person before she decided to walk into the tent of her own accord. She placed the two plates down on the floor before standing up straight again.

"Don't move," Lila ordered before she ran from the tent and to her own. Daryl just raised an eyebrow in confusion, waiting awkwardly in the tent for her to return. He picked up his plate and began eating slowly, until her presence brought him to another halt.

"Surprise," Lila grinned, holding a small bottle in her hands, "Well? Please don't tell me you don't like whisky…" The more silent he stayed the more nervous she grew, "Or you don't drink at all?" Lila continued.  
>"No, I drink," Daryl replied, putting his plate back down. Lila walked over and sat down cross legged in front of him, she unscrewed the cap and took the first swig, she scrunched up her face in revolt at the taste causing Daryl to laugh.<br>"Where the hell'd you find this?" Daryl asked as he took the bottle from Lila and gulped down three large mouthfuls – the liquor burnt its way down his throat, instantly making his shoulders relax.

"I've been carrying it around since I left home," She replied, "It was the last thing I managed to steal from my dad, he'd been saving it for a special occasion…"

Daryl stopped mid swig, pulling the bottle away from his lips before he spoke, "This class as a special occasion to you?" He questioned.

Lila lifted her shoulders in a shrug before she reached her hands up to her pony tail, "Guess so, I'm alive ain't I?" She smiled, her fingers untying the band around her hair, allowing it to flow over her shoulders in a mess of waves. Daryl stared at her as she fluffed at her hair – she was wearing nothing but a pair of ripped jean shorts and a white vest, and he hated himself for how sweet and ivory her skin looked beneath the mud that stained her arms and legs.

"What happened your family?" Daryl asked suddenly, passing the bottle back to Lila, she took it and tapped her fingers against the glass for a few seconds, as if in deep thought.

"I honestly don't know," She shrugged.

"Were you with them when this shit went down?"

Lila took a minute to try and think about what she was going to say, but the whiskey was already warming her chest and making her head go somewhat fuzzy.

"I actually left the night before they were evacuated," Lila replied, Daryl's expression changed completely.

"What do you mean evacuated?"

"When the infection got worse, everyone of some kind of importance was shipped off to the so called safe zones. My dad was…" Lila began but words began to fail her, she hadn't spoken of her family since she'd left, her brothers, her sisters…she didn't know if they were alive or dead.

"What made you leave?" Daryl asked before Lila had a chance to finish her reply to the previous question.

"Stupidity," Lila laughed as she swallowed another few mouthfuls of whiskey.

"Plenty of that goin' around," Daryl scoffed, Lila studied the way his chest moved when he laughed – she took note of the scars patterning his skin and the relaxed look in his eyes when he was talking to her.

"I was a kid that thought I knew more than them…I figured the whole thing would just blow over and I'd be free of my parents for good," She continued, silence filled the tent and Lila fidgeted awkwardly.

"How important was your family anyhow? You some famous guy's kid or somethin'?" Daryl laughed.

"My dad was a judge…my mom was some big entrepreneurs daughter…I was destined to be married off to some posh boy with too much confidence and too little personality," Lila smiled sweetly, dimples piercing her cheeks.

"Sounds interesting," Daryl said, "Did you family have somethin' to do with why you went digging around that warehouse?" He asked, Lila's expression turned serious.  
>"I was told to head to that warehouse building because it was classed as the nearest safe zone…they had medical supplies and security guards and a radio," She paused, "I was told that if I got lost, I was to use the radio there to contact my parents. There's only so many frequencies used these days, it was my only chance at finding where my ended up, if they're even still alive." She sighed as she spoke, exasperated. Daryl was watching her as she pulled her bare legs up to her chest and set her chin on her knees, he noticed goose bumps prick the skin of her arms and immediately picked up the blanket from his bed, handing it to her. She frowned towards him before taking it and wrapping it around her shoulders.<p>

"I'm sorry, did I just witness Daryl Dixon do something gentlemanly?" Lila joked with an innocent smile – she couldn't help but be taken in by the masculine, musky scent of the blanket, it caused her stomach to erupt into butterflies, it was nice distraction from what she had just told him. She stared towards Daryl, her eyes locking with his as she passed him the bottle, his hand touched hers just briefly, but it sent sparks through her fingertips.

"Guess so," Daryl shrugged, "Don't get used to it, I was always told to be careful of a girl with blonde hair and dimples," He joked with the slightest of smirks.

"Oh yeah? And whys that?"

"If a girl comes across that innocent…she's gotta be hidin' somethin'," He replied nonchalantly.

"I never said I was innocent," Lila said, her voice lowering as her eyes locked with his.

"Girl, you ain't nothin' but a beauty queen goin' through a rebellious streak, you're as innocent as it gets, you're just too naïve to recognise it."

Lila was stunned into silence, her mouth ajar in surprise, "Some big words you're shooting at me, Dixon."

"It ain't the big words you're scared of LB," Daryl began, "It's that I'm right. You're just a lost daddy's girl without a chance in hell."

"You don't know me," Lila stated, standing up from the floor and throwing the blanket back towards Daryl, "Don't act like I'm just some stereotypical rich girl that can't shoot and can't fend for herself. I've survived a lot longer that the rest of this world ever could have. Enjoy the whiskey," She turned to leave but Daryl quickly stood up, his hand gripped onto her wrist and spun her around to face him.

"Wait," He began, not quite knowing how to continue.

"What? I ask for your help and I tell you something I should have never told you and…you use it against me like you have the right to do so. I'm not going to sit here like some sad little puppy dog and take all your shit," Lila argued, but Daryl kept a tight hold on her wrist, his eyes fixed firmly on her mouth as she spoke.

"Can you let me go please?" She asked, but Daryl didn't move his hand.

"Daryl come on, it's late, I should go back to my tent and pretend like I never tried to have a civil conversation with you. I just thought…"

"You just thought what?" Daryl asked curiously.

Lila fidgeted for a minute before answering, "I just thought that somewhere behind all of that tough, angry exterior you were nice…I'm struggling to remember why," She pulled her hand free of Daryl's and walked out of the tent, "Goodnight." She muttered, her voice fading as she grew further and further away. Daryl watched as she disappeared into her tent, the bottle was still clasped in his hand and he couldn't help but feel like the biggest jackass.

"Women," He muttered to himself, "Ain't worth the energy." Daryl tried to convince himself, but he just sat down on his makeshift bed, put the cap back on the whiskey and lay down. He fell into a light, disturbed sleep – the look of her saddened green eyes and flushed cheeks playing heavy on his mind.


	11. Chapter 11

_Here's the next chapter everyone, please, please, please let me know what to think about it – I've been nervous about posting this one and I hope you enjoy it! _

_Thank you for all the reviews I've had so far, I love knowing how everyone feels about the storyline and my portrayal of the characters. _

_Enjoy and please review!_

Chapter Eleven

Lila couldn't sleep at all, she struggled her way through to about 6 am before she decided it was time for her to get out of the tent and make something of her day. Last night had been surprising – although she had never expected Daryl to be a nice, normal conversationalist, she'd at least expected him to be civil.

Lila dressed herself in her only pair of jeans and a baggy, slightly torn vest top. As she climbed out of the tent the first thing she noticed was the unrelenting heat, it hit her instantly and she ran her hands back through her hair.

"Took your time," A voice sounded behind her, causing Lila to turn around quickly to find Daryl stood, a bag slung over his shoulder as he bit impatiently at his nails.

"What?"

"Been waiting for you to get up for a couple hours, thought you'd never crawl outta your tent." Lila was confused, had he forgotten about last night? The fact that Lila had stormed out after her attempt at a normal conversation had turned into a battle.

"It's about 6 am, did you even sleep?" Lila scoffed, crossing her arms over her stomach.

"I got you somethin', I don't know if it'll work or even if you…I don't know, here," Daryl held out the bag that had been slung over his shoulder in front of Lila, she frowned, staring at it cautiously.

"Go on it ain't gunna bite ya," He thrust the bag closer to her and Lila took hold of it gruffly, she opened it up and looked inside with a sigh. Until her eyes actually met the contents, her mouth opened and her eyes lifted up to meet Daryl's.  
>"Is this what it looks like?" Lila asked quietly, taking a step closer to him.<p>

He shrugged nonchalantly, "It is what it is, I'll help you set it up at Dale's RV, if you're gunna get signal it'll be there."

Lila's eyes welled up as she stared at the radio in the bag – it was definitely the same one from the warehouse she'd visited, the one that had been her last chance at contacting her family.

"You went back to get this for me?" Lila asked, a tear ran down her face and Daryl couldn't help but grow uncomfortable, he kicked some of the dirt beneath his foot as he spoke.

"Didn't have anythin' better to do I guess, things been so slow around here latel-" But before he had a chance to go on with his excuses, Lila had thrown her arms around his neck, her body pressed tightly against his. He stood as still as a statue, but soon found his arms relaxing against her, he folded his forearm lightly around her waist, to his surprise, Lila didn't pull away.

"Thank you, so much," She whispered, her voice so close to his ear it sent chills over him.

Daryl stepped back from the embrace first as he pushed his hair back from his face.

"It wasn't no trouble," He said gruffly.

"No, it was," Lila corrected, "You could've been killed, that place was swarming when I left. You've done me a favour that I won't ever forget, Daryl. Thank you." Her green eyes stayed locked on his for longer than necessary, to the point where Daryl was desperate to pull her back to him – to feel the warmth of her against him, but he stopped himself, looked away from her and off towards Dale's RV.

"I'll fix it up for you later," He mumbled, walking off towards his tent. Lila watched as he left her, a longing struck deep in her stomach, she hadn't thought about it properly before…she hadn't thought about how desperate she was to break the shell he'd built around himself. Something was inside him that no one else had seen…and she couldn't help but want to know what it was.

Lila walked through the field, her batons at either side of her hips, the soft blow of warm summers wind tickled past her ears. She took a deep breath in, revelling in the sincerity of the calm that had overcome her since this morning.

As her mind grew empty, her memories threatened to take over. Lila sat down on a large rock in the middle of the field, and looked off into the distance. Thanks to Daryl, she had a real chance of finding her family…but what did that even mean? Would her beloved sister Ada still be alive? Her other siblings? Her parents? Now that the prospect of finding out was staring her directly in the eyes, she couldn't decide if it was worth the misery. The reality of this new world was that expecting someone you haven't seen in months to be alive, is a dream…a fantasy and it wasn't just them being dead she had to fear, she also had to fear what would happen if she found them alive. She had abandoned her family the night before the evacuation, all for a stupid dream of happiness and freedom. If she found them alive, she'd have to admit that she was wrong to leave, that her reason for leaving had betrayed her.

As her memories of him flooded back to her, she couldn't help but think of Daryl. The way he held her earlier had been so different to the first time Erik had held her. Erik. The first time she'd seen him, she'd fallen madly in love with him – the darkness of his eyes and the rough outline of his jaw, the way his raven hair fell in tangles down his neck. He'd been the ultimate sin and he'd turned into the ultimate nightmare.

Lila's stomach ached with the thought of him, the pain in her chest was enough to cripple her…it was the feeling of betrayal, of promises being broken and hopes for the future being burned down to the ground.

She stood up and walked back to the farm, her pleasant walk had turned quickly into a time of mourning and she wasn't in the mood to dwell any longer. Lila rushed over the fence and past some of the other residents, she walked past Dale's RV and heard a voice call out to her.

"Lila!" It shouted, "Hey LB," Followed soon after. The sound of Daryl's feet hitting the ground after her caused her to turn around. He was startled to find her crying.

"I fixed up your radio, should be up and runnin' soon enough. It needs to run off of the battery in the RV, but we can keep it goin' an hour a day if we're careful."  
>"Why did you really get me that radio Daryl?" Lila asked.<p>

"What?" He scowled at her.

"You don't ever feel bad for anyone, you don't go running around after everyone else, so why me? Why do you feel so sorry for me?" Lila asked and for a second, Daryl just stood staring at her.

"I don't feel sorry for you," He replied and Lila laughed, turning around and walking away. Daryl followed as she walked further away from camp.

"You do, everyone does. All I get from people here is 'how are you feeling' and 'can I do anything to help you'…what about me gives off the impression that I need help? Does it ever occur to anyone that I'm just as fucked as everyone else in the this camp?" Lila yelled, Daryl ran up to her, catching her arm in his hand and pulling her back towards him. He studied her as she stood looking shocked, her green eyes wide and her face flushed with anger.

"My family is probably dead, just like everyone else's."

"I know," Daryl replied.

"Just because they were evacuated doesn't mean shit," Lila continued.

"I know," Daryl repeated, his hand was still holding tightly around Lila's forearm, she was almost certain it would leave a mark – but the gentle circles his thumb was making on the skin soothed her and she couldn't bring herself to turn away, because she was too frightened she'd never see that look in his eyes again.

There was no anger in his expression, no pity, no sadness…for once, Daryl was just looking at her.

Before she had a chance to settle the sudden nervousness in her stomach and slow the ragged breathing that rattled her chest, Daryl was pressing his fingertips to her lips, making sure she couldn't speak.  
>"You don't have anything to say, so don't bother," Daryl said, "Keep your mouth shut for once."<p>

"But why did you-" Lila begun, but again, Daryl's finger was pressed to her lips.

"Shut up," He stated, "I got you the damn radio cos I wanted to, I was a dick to you and you don't deserve that," Daryl paused, pulling his fingers away from her lips, and removing his hand from her forearm. He was shocked when her small, delicate hand came down on his, gripping it and holding it against her arm.

"Don't," Lila stepped closer to Daryl as she tried to hold in the weakness that was threatening to spill into her voice.

"I'm not lookin' for nothin' from you, I got that radio because it was the right thing to do for you."

"I know," Lila said, repeating Daryl's own tone back to him.  
>"There's something about you I can't fault, no matter how much of a dick you are to me," Lila added, moving Daryl's hand from her forearm, to her waist. She shivered when he pulled her closer to him. He towered over her, his muscular chest pressed firmly into hers, restricting her breathing.<p>

"You're a good man, I can feel it, whenever I'm near you, I feel safe." Lila's voice was low and shaky.

"I ain't good enough for you Lila," Daryl stated and Lila suddenly felt as if that wall he had built up was crashing down around them – building them their own shelter from the outside world.

"You're right," Lila stated, causing hurt to radiate in Daryl's eyes, "You're better," She added.

Before she had a chance to steady herself, Daryl's lips had crashed against hers, intoxicating her – he held her in place against him, his hands were around the back of her neck and in her hair and she held tightly onto him, fearing that he'd let go a moment too soon. Whatever sanity she'd had before, whatever worries, whatever hurt…it was gone now, he'd let down his guard for just a moment and she couldn't help but want to scream just how worth the wait it really was.


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry its been a whole week since my last update, but here it is now! Hopefully you'll enjoy it, I think I've got some treats in store for you in the next few chapters…_

_If any of you guys are on twitter, please do follow me, I always follow back and tend to say when I'm about to update my stories - /#!/gubler__

_Enjoy and don't forget to review!_

Chapter Twelve

Images of her family home filled the forefront of her mind, she should have felt safe, she should have felt loved. She didn't. All that surrounded her was pressure – the pressure to be perfect, well behaved and respected. The thought had never occurred to her parents that maybe she didn't want to be so perfect; maybe she needed the danger that rebelling against them offered her. Maybe she needed it to feel alive.

Her eyes shot open and she found herself sat on top of Dale's RV, the radio sat at her feet – as silent as it had been the entire day. Dusk was descending over the farm and she stood abruptly at the sound of arguing. Lila glanced over to where the voices were coming from and found herself looking towards the main campsite, Rick was arguing with Daryl, Shane was arguing with them both and Lori, Carol and Andrea were looking on at them.

"You all woke me from a darn fine dream, what's going on?" Lila joked, as she reached the group. Daryl immediately looked at her, the softness of his eyes was gone and instead he scowled at her.

"You shouldn't be here," Daryl stated, the tone in his voice struck her instantly and she took a step back.  
>"Tough, what's going on?" Lila asked again, her eyes moved from Daryl, to Rick, to Shane…but none of them moved to answer her.<p>

"We were tryin' to decide what to do with the boy," Shane stated.

Instantly Lila's stomach dropped and she could almost feel the blood drain from her face. She had been surprised by how easy it had been to forget Randall was even still on the farm, being reminded of his presence was devastating.

"If you cant find someone to kill him, I'll do it," Lila said suddenly, her eyes glazed over and she folded her arms around herself.  
>"Lila," Daryl said from beside her, but she turned to shoot him a glance heavy with threat.<p>

"No," Lila scoffed, "If none of you are man enough to do it, I will."  
>"You couldn't kill him," Shane stated and Lila found herself turning around to face him.<p>

"What?"  
>"I just mean, he ain't your responsibility. You couldn't hurt a fly if you tried," Shane added.<p>

"Excuse me, I'd just like to point out that when Sheriff over here was goin' to leave you behind in favour of barn boy over there, I was the one that saved your ass," Lila said angrily, her voice raising slightly, "And for your information, I could kill anything if that anything had raped and tortured me for however many goddamned weeks I was trapped there. You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do. One more word and I'll put you down." Lila's eyes met with Shane's in a cold grip before she felt Daryl's hand wrap around her arm.

"Come on," Daryl pulled her back from Shane, "Come on LB," He repeated when she was reluctant to move.

"I can't believe them!" Lila hissed as her and Daryl walked away from the group.

"Hey," Daryl turned Lila around to face him and stared down at her.

"I guess now comes the point when we have to talk about what happened earlier," Lila shuffled awkwardly as Daryl shrugged.

"What do we have to talk about?" He asked, his hand moving a strand of hair from her face.

"You kissed me," Lila smirked, her eyes meeting with Daryl's.  
>"So?" He scoffed.<p>

"So you like me," Lila mocked with a grin, moving a step closer to him.

"Shut up."

"Why? Mocking you is taking away from all the pain and trauma that's flooding back to me, help a girl out and take it," She smiled sarcastically, but it was cut short when Daryl's lips pressed against hers, slowly this time, he moved his rough hand around the back of her neck. She reached up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she stood on her tip toes to reach him. The kiss was slow and hot, the feeling of warmth and calm took over Lila as she fell against him, her stomach a mess with butterflies.

Daryl pulled away far too quickly for her liking and she stumbled a little.

"They act like I'm some useless tag along…" Lila continued, "I could help them if they'd just let me. This big deal with Randall, I could fix it in a few minutes. Nobody wants to kill him, I get it, but I could do it and feel nothing." The sudden realisation of her words set in and she frowned at herself, her eyes meeting with Daryl's after a few seconds.

"You don't mean that," He started, "You'd feel somethin', I know you. You're too sweet not to mourn for a life, even if that life is as worthless as Randall's. If you killed him, Lila, you'd regret it for the rest of your life."

"I'd never regret taking his life when he destroyed mine," She replied quietly.

"No, but you'd regret having his blood on your hands, tainting the rest of your days. He ain't worth it, let them argue it out, they'll make their decision."

"What if it isn't their decision to make?" Lila asked, her green eyes reached up to meet Daryl's and he stared down at her tiny frame, his fists clenched at the thought of Randall on her and he had no choice but to look away.

"Does it disgust you?" Lila questioned, "To know that they touched me?" Her voice was low and delicate. Daryl brought his eyes back to Lila's and tried to extinguish the anger flooding them.

"You're the least disgustin' thing I've seen in a long time," He stated and Lila burst out laughing.

"That supposed to be a compliment?"

"I ain't no poet girl, find someone else to bump uglies with if that's what you're after," Daryl scoffed.

Lila walked back towards the farmhouse, Daryl followed close behind her as she made her way over to the group. Dale and Glenn had joined the discussion as to whether Randall was to go or stay, but the extra listeners didn't put Lila off.

"Listen," She began, "I ain't going into detail what I went through the past few months. We've all been through shit that isn't going away, we've watched people we know and love die, seen people we trusted act out in ways we never expected…and I know I look like I need taking care of, I get it," Lila paused, swiping a piece of long blonde hair back from her face, "But I'm stronger than I look. Let me go get supplies tomorrow," She finalised, much to the shock of everyone listening. She felt Daryl's hand clamp around her arm and tug her back, his face was close to hers as he hissed in her ear.

"What the hell you doin?" He questioned, but Lila just turned back to the group.  
>"I can do it, gimme the list of stuff you need and I'll prove I'm not useless."<p>

Everyone glanced between themselves, clearly unable to decide whether or not she was serious.

"I'll leave in the morning, whether there's a list or not." With that Lila turned from the group and walked back to her tent with Daryl following closely on her heel.

"So my little pep talk did nothin' to quit you bein' stupid?" Daryl stated angrily, watching as Lila sat down outside of her tent, her legs tucked up against her chest as she leant against a tree.

"I get why I cant kill Randall…I get why I'm not allowed to go moping around camp, I don't get why I cant help out. I'm physically capable, I don't have a kid to look out for like Rick and Lori do, I don't even really have friends here," She paused, her eyes looking up towards Daryl, "I need to prove I'm worth protecting. If I wanna stay here…if you want me to stay you need to let me do this." Daryl was suddenly very aware of the turn this conversation had taken and he sat himself down, his teeth bit down on his fingernails as he thought to himself for a few moments.

"What's on your mind?" Lila asked.  
>"You're still recoverin' from a dislocated shoulder, a concussion…you ain't as physically capable as you think, you were a mess when we found you. You go out there tomorrow, I'd count it as a miracle if you came back." His words hit Lila in the pit of her stomach and she folded her arms around herself, "You know that's where they found Randall, right? In town? What if you go back there and those guys just waitin' for you?" Daryl argued. Lila moved her eyes down to stare at the floor, unable to answer him.<p>

"I'll come with you." His voice cut through her thoughts again and she frowned up at him.

"No you won't," She replied with a nervous laugh.

"No argument, you leave here tomorrow, it's with me. How you planning on gettin' from here to town without a vehicle anyhow?" Daryl questioned, the breeze blowing his hair back from his dirtied face.

"I have legs," Lila replied.

"Hell yeah you do, genius," Daryl smirked momentarily, "You should get to bed, it's gettin' late."

Daryl stood to leave but Lila grabbed his hand, pulling him back down to sit next to her. For a few minutes she was quiet – Daryl took the time to study her face, worry was set deep inside her young, emerald eyes and a stern expression had imprinted itself on her brow. But her cheeks still glowed beneath the light of the moon and her fingertips were so soft against his hands he could barely concentrate.

"Why'd you kiss me really?" She asked, breaking the silence.

Daryl paused for a moment before speaking, he let out a long breath of air, he just couldn't find the words to explain.

"I don't know, no reason I guess," He stated quickly, the disappointment in her eyes sent a bolt through his chest but he just couldn't figure out an answer. Was he supposed to know why? Should he have all the answers for her?

Lila's fingertips soon stopped gracing the rough skin of his hands and he suddenly felt incredibly cold.

"Sunrise tomorrow," Daryl said, standing up to leave – this time, Lila didn't look up to watch him or wave him back to her, she just let him leave, looking entirely confused and a little hurt.


	13. Chapter 13

_Here is your next chapter! Hopefully I'm updating as regularly as you guys like, but if I could make any improvements please let me know._

_Don't forget to review!_

Chapter Thirteen

Her clothes were torn from her skin, her flesh was burning against the hot cement against her back. His hands flung her onto her front and she did her best to crawl away, the gravel ripping at her stomach. She knew that the tears falling from her eyes were pointless and weak, but she just couldn't bear to keep them in anymore.

His knife broke the skin of her back and she let out a blood curdling scream, she almost wanted a walker or two to find them – just so that the suffering would end. The blade sliced into her flesh and she fought to get away with no success, she was trapped – the sticky trickles of blood rolling down her sides and the feeling of shame and failure penetrating her stomach. She couldn't breathe…this was it?

"See this gents, this the sign of a gal with no self control!" The voice of the man filled her head and all she wanted to do was pound her fists into her skull to make it stop.

"So ready and willing, wonder if anyone will miss her?" The voice continued, and Lila's thoughts immediately moved back to Erik and her family, her little sisters, her brothers.

"Lila," A voice called her, but all she could do was hit against the solid statue that held in place, she could barely take note of the fact that the voice wasn't the same she'd heard in her mind, this one was real. "Lila! You're okay, pull yourself together," The real voice continued, but her back was on fire and her thoughts no longer made any sense.

"Let me go! Please!" She screamed, her fists pounding against whoever was holding her.

"Hey! Let go of 'er! She's scared shitless, you gunna hold her like she can't get away, what's wrong with you?" Another voice called out and suddenly the strong, threatening arms let go of her and she was released against the cool damp of grass. Her hands entwined with the blades of dewy greenery as she cried.  
>"Come on LB, lets get you up," The familiar voice murmured close to her ear, but she clung to the grass for dear life.<p>

"Please," She begged, tears fell freely in frightened gasps as she buried her face in the grass.

"No one's gunna hurt you, I got you," The voice soothed as best it could. Lila turned to find Daryl's eyes met with hers and she realised that as much as he tried to hide his emotions – at this moment, the panic and sympathy was so clear in his expression it made her ache.

"I don't want to leave, please," Lila begged, and Daryl's arms soon wrapped around her, covering her from everyone else.

"Get me a blanket will ya?" He asked one of the other people surrounding them before turning back to Lila, "We won't move till you're ready, I promise."

As Daryl picked Lila up and carried her into the farmhouse, he tried to ignore as everyone watched on, wondering exactly what had changed to make him care about someone. He chose not to think about it.

"Hershel!" He yelled as he opened the farmhouse door, walking inside and leaving the eager eyes and ears of the others outside.

Daryl's hand traced the deep scar running along her spine as she slept. It had been early morning when he'd heard her screaming. He'd run from his tent to hers only to find her bed was empty and cold.

That was when he ran towards the farmhouse, he'd found Shane holding her as a panicked Glenn and Maggie looked on. Only a few of the others had heard her at first, but with Shane holding onto her, her screams had only grown louder. It was evident within a few moments that she was still deep within a nightmare.

Now she lay peacefully in a bed within the farmhouse, her hands clenched around the sheets, just a small, torn vest top and pair of shorts concealing her modesty…it was that lack of clothing that had allowed Daryl to witness exactly how much damage had been inflicted upon her when she'd been kept by Randall's group. One large, reddened scar ran down her spine, but others patterned her back in random, angry bursts of red and pink.

"Surprised you stood a chance, LB," Daryl muttered, knowing that she couldn't hear him.

Hershel had needed to give her a sedative to calm her; he'd told him she'd be unconscious for at least five or six hours. There was a light knock at the door and Daryl quickly removed his hand from the skin of her back and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders to conceal her scars.

"I brought you something to eat and a jug of water, she'll be thirsty when she wakes up," Carol stated, setting the plate and jug down on the table in the corner. Daryl said nothing, but nodded in polite recognition of Carol's efforts.

"She been awake yet?" Carol asked.

"She'll be under a few hours yet," Daryl replied reluctantly.

"You care about her," Carol said suddenly, her expression still kind.  
>"What?" Daryl questioned sternly.<p>

"It's okay, it's good. It's good that you have someone to care about…someone to be with." Carol continued, but the more she spoke, the angrier Daryl became.

"This girls been through hell and you're thinkin' like a matchmaker? She don't mean shit to me, just another girl with no one to look out for her," Daryl shouted, standing up from his seat by Lila's bedside, "Plenty'a those goin' around," He finalised bitterly, walking out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

Lila's head ached with regret – the fact she'd had no control over anything she'd done didn't matter to her, she'd embarrassed herself…but more than anything, she'd proved to everyone that she was a liability.

Her hand clasped to her head and she groaned, whatever she'd been given had left her with one hell of a hangover. She gripped the jug of water by her bedside and gulped down a few mouthfuls before realising the warm liquid was making her feel even more nauseous. Her feet hit on the wooden floorboards clumsily as she walked over to the window, it was well into the evening, darkness was already settling in the sky, but she was paying more attention to Daryl, who stood away from the camp in deep conversation with Carol. His face was reddened and angry, Carol's as always was calm and sympathetic.

Lila couldn't explain it, but she could sense something between them that brought a lump to her throat.

"Busy?" A voice startled her as the door creaked shut, she turned to see Shane walking over to the window, he stood beside her, looking over to Daryl and Carol as they argued. Lila's eyes dropped to the ground as she realised she'd been caught spying.

"I wouldn't worry bout that," Shane stated.

"Worry about what?" Lila asked as nonchalantly as possible.

"You know what," Shane laughed, "It ain't what you think."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Shane sighed, shaking his head, "You know exactly what I'm talkin' about." There was an awkward silence filled the room before Shane spoke again.  
>"Get dressed, I got something to show you," He stated and for a second Lila just stared at him.<br>"Come on, I'll wait outside, bring your batons."

Lila was confused, but nonetheless met Shane outside, dressed and ready with her batons at her sides. He threw a flashlight towards her and she caught it reluctantly.

"Come scale the grounds, you wanna be useful round here, best learn the ropes," Shane said, Lila followed somewhat reluctantly. Her eyes caught with Daryl's momentarily as her and Shane climbed over the first lot of fencing. He was arguing heatedly with Carol and it drove her crazy knowing that they clearly had a history with one another – so Lila ignored his gaze and instead, wrapped her hand around one of her batons as she continued to walk with Shane.

"We check every night, usually two people go in case anything happens. You see or find anything suspicious that ain't an immediate threat, we keep a watchman for the night and search further out the next day. You find any walkers, depending on how many, you fight or fly. Pretty obvious stuff," Shane said casually, stopping half way through the field as he turned to look at Lila.

"We're goin' to kill the boy tomorrow," Shane began, "That's the way it's lookin' anyway."

Lila stared at him, stunned for a second or two, before she turned from him, her hands buried in her hair…she was about to speak when she heard something…something far off to her right.

"Lila?"  
>"Sshh!" She hissed, grabbing her second baton she moved slowly in the right direction, she lowered herself below the crop, searching for the feet shuffling nearby.<p>

She had the walker in her sight, quickly she ran towards it at full speed, her batons raised. She swung them towards each side of the walkers head. One came into immediate contact with its temple whilst the other came down on the top of its skull. Instantly, it was knocked to the ground. Just as Daryl had showed her that day, she pulled the small knife from her short pockets and pushed it into the back of its head, cutting off all brain activity.

She breathed heavily, listening for any other noise, she heard nothing but still found herself incredibly on edge.

"I'll keep watch. I don't trust that there aren't more of them." With that Lila stood and walked back to camp, she wanted to turn and thank Shane for telling her about Randall's soon to be execution…but she just couldn't do it. Instead, she just wiped the back of her arm along her face – blood stained her skin and she spat with disgust.

Whether she killed Randall or not, his blood was definitely on her hands and she hated herself for feeling guilty about that.


	14. Chapter 14

_Here is an extra long chapter for you all! I must admit, whilst I was proof reading this chapter, I think it's my favourite! So I hope you all enjoy it and please review!_

Chapter Fourteen

Sitting on top of Dale's RV comforted her, she could see all around herself, she could examine her surroundings efficiently. She knew that in that moment, when she could see that the coast was clear…she wasn't about to get killed.

"Thought you could use some reading material," Dale said as he climbed slowly up on top of the RV beside her, he stood, looking out over the fields.

"Thanks," Lila smiled, taking the book from Dale and automatically glancing at the back.

"You're very welcome," He sighed, crossing his arms, "The radio didn't make a sound all day, in case you were wondering," Dale added. Lila was grateful, she hadn't wanted to ask, but she'd been curious as to whether or not anyone had heard her message.

"I'd guessed as much," She laughed apathetically, "Am I being ridiculous? Thinking that there's a chance they could be alive?" Lila looked up at Dale, who was stood over her, admiring the night sky.

He shrugged and gave her a warm smile, "There's always hope…and there's nothing ridiculous about it. It's once you start losing hope that you need to worry," Dale said, his hand gave her shoulder a light squeeze.

"That's a good book, don't lose it," He added playfully as he climbed back down from the RV. Lila smiled to herself, but it soon faded as thoughts about Erik and her family flooded back. After all this time, after everything she'd be through, she could understand missing her family, her home…but missing Erik? She hated him so much it felt like her insides were burning just at the thought of his name. But his death had been her fault, she'd killed him. Hadn't she?

The ladder rattled against the RV and Lila turned to find Daryl making his way up top.

"Heard you caught a walker, they're gettin' closer to camp every day," Daryl said casually as he sat down next to Lila. The warmth that radiated from his skin was enough to make Lila sweat, she wanted to run her hands over the rough, dirtied skin of his arms…but the images of Carol and him flooded back to the forefront of her mind and she stopped herself.

"Someone's not their usual, irritatin' self," Daryl scoffed as he picked at his crossbow.

"Shut up," Lila groaned, opening up the book Dale had given her and pretending to read a few pages. She knew that Daryl was watching her, but she could bring herself to turn to look at him. Daryl grabbed the book from her hands and Lila swiftly looked over to catch him staring at her.

"Real mature, Dixon," Lila stated.  
>"You gunna tell me what the hells wrong with you all of a sudden?"<p>

"What? You missing me falling at your feet like I've been doin' every other day lately?" Lila replied sarcastically, tilting her head to one side as she studied his expression, Daryl just frowned at her before shaking his head.

"Whatever," He muttered, turning away from her.

"Why'd you get me the radio Daryl? Why'd you kiss me? And why exactly did you come running to the rescue this morning?" Lila's questioning caught him off guard and he found himself staring deep into her eyes.

"If you're only doin' this shit because you think I expect it from you, don't bother. I don't need no sympathy from you and I've said plenty of times I don't need looking after. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some sleep before I have to wake up in the morning and start this shit all over again," Lila yelled, she swung herself down from the RV and jogged angrily back to her tent, snapping the zip down hastily before she through herself into her makeshift bed. Daryl Dixon was fucking with her head, and right now, that was the last thing she needed.

"You expectin' me to come runnin' after you every time you have a personality crisis girl?" Daryl's voice called from outside her tent, "You're becomin' more trouble than your worth," He added quietly as he opened her tent and walked inside.

"Get out, jackass," Lila shouted, turning over onto her side.

"You're one bad tempered bitch when you wanna be, LB," Daryl hissed as he sat down next to her makeshift bed, he allowed himself to fall back onto the floor, his arms beneath his head.

"Get out," Lila repeated, but didn't move nor reply, he just lay there on the floor completely still.

When Lila moved over to push him out of the tent, his hand gripped around her arm and brought her tumbling to the ground, he swiftly rolled on top of her, trapping her beneath him. Daryl took note of the way her breathing quickened and her heart began beating solidly against her chest.

"You might hate me, ain't nothing I can do bout that," Daryl said quietly, his face so close to Lila's that his breath was running over the softened skin of her lips.

"I don't hate you, I just don't know why you're such an ass," Lila struggled beneath him, but he didn't move, instead he just took her hands in his, moving them above her head as he spoke to her.

"I don't wanna see you dead, you got a problem with that?" He asked.  
>"What?" Lila frowned.<p>

"You can hate me all you want, I don't give two shits, as long as you're alive to hate me…I'm doin' what I intend to do. That's keepin' you live and kickin' so we can have these delightful conversations, we clear?" Daryl's voice was stern and heavy and Lila found herself nodding in reply.

"Good," Daryl let go of her hands but let his fingertips trace down her side for a moment.

"One more thing," He began before his lips pressed hard against Lila's, his tongue meeting with hers as her hands weaved themselves into his dirtied hair. He pulled away in one sharp motion, leaving Lila writhing for more beneath him.

"Quit askin' me why I kiss you, we ain't in high school," He finalised, getting up from on top of her and leaving the tent, closing the zip behind himself.

"I'll finish your shift, gotta get up early anyhow," Daryl added, his voice fading in the distance. There was no doubt that he was damn good at winning an argument, whether Lila liked it or not.

The next day Lila felt both embarrassed and relieved, a peculiar combination considering last night's events. She pulled herself tiredly out of her tent, rubbing her hands over her neck – pain radiated through her muscles as she moved, the fight with the walker yesterday had taken its toll, her previous dislocated shoulder was definitely feeling the strain.

She remembered what was meant to be happening today and her stomach twisted into knots. Lila glanced over her shoulder towards the barn, it looked so peaceful…for a moment she felt as if perhaps she'd imagined the conversation with Shane, until she seen the look on Rick's face as he spoke to the others. That was when she decided not to let him make the decision, she ran back to her tent and dug out the gun Daryl had given her. Her hands shook with anticipation as she walked towards the barn, forcing the doors open was easy enough, she saw Daryl immediately, slumped against the wall as if he weren't about to witness the end of a life, Shane had the same nonchalant look about him…what had happened to all these people to make them think so casually of death?

"What you doin' in here?" Daryl asked, his eyes moving down to the gun in Lila's hand. Her eyes left his as looked over to Randall.

"Someone beat the shit out of him," Lila said quietly as she studied Randall's bruised and bloodied face.

"No shit," Daryl replied, and it was clear by the stern look in his eyes – he had been the one to do the beating.

"That you?" Randall's voice was croaky and weak, it was obvious he was talking to Lila.

"Miss me?" Lila asked, trying to keep the shakiness of tears from her voice. She walked towards Randall, but before he could reply, she had already pressed her gun into his forehead. Randall's jaw dropped, he was speechless.

"LB," Daryl began, but Lila cut him off.

"All my life I've been waiting for permission, right now I'm not waiting for shit," Lila stated sternly, turning so that her eyes met with Daryl's.

"This was never you're fight, I'm just some girl you picked up off the road and this is just some jackass on a power trip," She paused, looking back at a terrified Randall, "Me and him aren't so different….the end of the world began and we seen it as a chance to escape from whatever rules we'd been ordered to follow beforehand. This guy and me? We were just looking for a little excitement." Lila wiped a tear from her cheek with her spare hand, the other kept the gun pressed firmly into Randall's forehead, so much so that a bruise was beginning to form.

"You're nothing like him," Daryl said quietly, hoping that only Lila could hear him.

"So who am I like? You?" Lila asked, "You've done nothing but use me since I got here. I'm just another plaything to you, just like I was to him and his friends," Lila replied, her voice breaking mid sentence…not because what she was saying upset her, but because of the look in Daryl's eyes. She turned away from him, looking back to Randall.

"Lila don't, we'll take care of this," Rick's voice sounded from the doorway, but Lila paid no attention.

"Least you didn't get bit, Randall, could've been a lot worse," Lila said, a sob erupted from Randall. Her finger tensed against the trigger and as everyone prepared for the final blow, the gun gave an anticlimactic click. Randall let out the sob he'd clearly been holding in his chest before he collapsed to the ground.

Lila dropped to her knees and ripped the blindfold from Randall's eyes, as he looked at her, panicked and frightened, she almost felt sympathetic. But instead of revelling in that sympathy, she pressed the gun to his head again, pulling the trigger a second time…again, it clicked, no bullet exiting the barrel.

"I used to believe in fate…I used to believe in a lot of things," Lila stood up, gun still in hand – she pointed it down towards the creaky wooden floor boards, she pulled the trigger with no hesitation. The bullet penetrated the old wood in one swift movement, and Lila let out an apathetic laugh, "I find it difficult to believe I wasn't meant to kill you, but clearly today is your lucky day…" Lila paused handing the gun back to Daryl, he took it from her slowly, watching her as Lila walked weakly out of the barn and into the bright sunlight.

"You wanna take this one or you leavin' it to me again?" Shane asked, looking towards Daryl.

"Again? When have you ever dealt with her shit?" Daryl questioned, walking towards Shane.

"Ladies," Rick groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and he stepped between the pair.

"Just sayin' you best enjoy it while it lasts, that girl won't be stupid enough to love you much longer." Shane scoffed, Daryl moved in to hit him but Rick held him back.  
>"We got far more important shit to be dealing with than a fight over a girl," Rick shouted.<p>

Daryl looked Shane up and down, shaking his head, "You don't stand a chance," He muttered before walking out of the barn in an attempt to find Lila.

He caught site of her long blonde hair soon enough, she was sat on the fence that surrounded the farmhouse, looking out over the trees.

As soon as he reached her he knew she was crying, her breathing was heavy and ragged and as he leaned over the fence, he could see her cheeks were stained with tears.

"You okay?" Daryl asked, the awkwardness in his voice was obvious. Lila turned to glance at him before shaking her head and wiping her tears away.

"Nothing really changed for you did it? You just kept on surviving," Lila began as she hopped down from the fence so that she was stood beside Daryl.

"Some of us had lives…I had a life," Lila's eyes reached up to meet Daryl's but he continued to look away from her.

"You were jealous, weren't you?" He asked suddenly, causing Lila to frown.

"What?" She questioned.

"When you seen me and Carol together yesterday, you were jealous. It's why you've been such a bitch."

"Don't flatter yourself," Lila scoffed, folding her blonde hair behind her ears nervously.

"Real convincin' LB," Daryl laughed, "What is it with you anyhow? I get your shit is fucked up, why let it ruin you, what's the point?" Daryl asked, but Lila was too busy being shocked. Daryl was actually being logical for once, as much as it pained her to admit.

"I was jealous," Daryl added casually, looking over to the woods. Lila glanced up at him, confused.

"What? When?"

"When I saw you prancin' off like some lamb to the slaughter with Shane last night."

Lila laughed at his confession, "He was the one that told me about today, he was the only person to give me a heads up and treat me like one of you."

"He led a vulnerable girl that thinks she knows it all into a dark field and told her all about how he was gunna save the day and kill the guy that raped her? Don't that sound like a line to you?"

"He treated me like more than just a little girl, which is more than what I get from you," Lila replied, before she could add anything else, the sensation of Daryl's hand gripping firmly onto her hip knocked the air from her lungs.

"I don't treat you like a little girl," Daryl said quietly as he moved her against the fence, standing solidly in front of her, his hands holding her still.

"Prove it," Lila whispered, pushing herself against him, "Or are you too afraid to admit there's something between us?"

Daryl shook his head, his hand moving around to Lila's back.

"I ain't afraid LB, just cautious," He began.  
>"And why's that, Dixon?" Lila smirked.<p>

"Cos Lila, it don't do no good, I don't need to be watchin' your back as well as mine." His statement hurt her for just a second, until she found herself smiling. Her eyes rose to meet with Daryl's and he looked confused.

"But isn't that what you've already been doing? Just admit it…you feel it," Lila added, her hand pressed firmly against Daryl's stomach, "Just admit you feel it right there, right in the pit of your stomach…you know you don't want me to just disappear. What's so wrong with being scared of losing someone?"

Daryl paused for a moment, looking down at Lila as he thought carefully about what he was about to say, his grip loosened on her slightly and he tried to ignore her hand against his chest.

"It's wrong because it's a distraction," He stated, removing his hands from her hips, "A distraction I don't want." Daryl finalised.

When Daryl began walking away, she knew she had to do something to stop him. If he left now, he'd never be the same with her again. She watched as he walked back towards the farmhouse, with tear soaked cheeks and butterflies in her stomach she ran up behind him.

Her hand latched around his forearm and pulled him back, he turned to face her with a frown.

"Tell me you don't want me," Lila stated bluntly, for a second Daryl just stared at her like she was crazy, "Go on, tell me you don't want me," She repeated.

"This ain't about wantin' you Lila," Daryl replied sternly, his face just inches from hers, "This is about keepin' myself alive."

Lila laughed, "What's the point in being alive if you haven't got someone to be alive for. Day to day what have you got to live for?"

Daryl hesitated, staring off into the distance as he thought for a moment.

"I think about you every minute, every day," He answered, surprising Lila.

"That don't mean I'm goin' to babysit you all the time, making sure you ain't about to become walker bait," He clarified.

"I don't need babysitting, Dixon," She grinned, her lips pressing down against Daryl's, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as his hands clasped onto her hips, forcing her against him.


	15. Chapter 15

_I'm not sure what's happening with the reviews at the moment, but they've decreased dramatically in the last few chapters…not sure if people are losing interest in the story or the way I'm writing it – I plan to keep it going for a while, but it's no fun writing to an uninterested audience so if my writing seems a little off, that may have something to do with it._

_So if you do like the story, please review!_

Chapter Fifteen

The screaming had happened shortly afterwards, Daryl and Lila had had little time to realise they were entering into something dangerous.

Lila walked towards the screaming and shouting first, expecting the worst – that Randall had managed to get free, but instead she found Lori in tears, talking to Rick.

"What happened?" Lila asked as soon as she reached the group, Daryl following soon after.

"It's Carl, he's gone," Andrea replied, but Lila was too busy taking note of the look that Carol gave Daryl as the statement was made.

"What do you mean gone?" Lila asked again.

"Missing, he was by the barn a few hours ago and now he's no where to be found," Shane added. Lila found herself too engrossed in Lori's eyes to listen to any of the others; the pain was so clear in her expression it physically hurt Lila just to watch her.

"Ain't doing anyone any good to be stood round here then, lets go," Lila stated, looks of surprise travelled around the group and she found even herself surprised at her statement – but she didn't dwell on it, instead she just walked across to her tent.

"You ain't goin' out there," Daryl's voice stated from behind Lila as she clicked her batons in place at either hip.

"What?" She scoffed, pushing the gun Daryl had given her into her jean waistband.

"If I'm out there lookin' for one kid I don't need to be babysittin' another at the same time," He replied, causing Lila to come to an abrupt halt, she stared towards Daryl in disbelief.

"Good job I'm not a kid, huh?" Lila pushed past him and jogged towards Lori, who was now sat in tears on the porch steps, being comforted my Carol and Dale.

Lila knelt down in front of her and looked directly into her eyes, she smiled, "Don't worry, don't even think about it. I'll find him, I promise."

Lori let out another sob, her hand gripping onto Lila's, "You shouldn't be out there, let the guys handle it, you've been through enough, you shouldn't be thrown back out there," Lori replied through tears.  
>"I owe you my life, if anyone else had me with their car, they'd have left me for dead. I'm bringing Carl home whether you like it or not," Lila smiled, standing up and turning to talk directly to Hershel.<p>

"You got a horse that won't kill me?" Lila asked with an apathetic laugh.

"I'll show her," Maggie stepped in, taking Lila's arm and pulling her towards the stables.

As the reached the enclosure, Maggie freed one of the horses, the pair began saddling the animal in silence.

"Lori was right you know, you took a good beating the past few weeks, you might be over estimating yourself…" Maggie said, finally breaking the tension between the pair.

Lila shrugged before she answered, her hand running down the horses soft mane, "You sound like Daryl."

Maggie shook her head as she walked around to face Lila, "This is an inappropriate time to go proving some point to your boyfriend." For a second, Lila didn't quite know what to say until she finally scoffed, pulling herself up onto the horse.

"You don't know shit," Lila stated, kicking the horse to attention and riding out of the stables. She reared the horse around the others as they waded through the field, Rick, Shane, Daryl and Glenn each had the same expression on their face…but Lila was struggling to put a finger of what it was. Would she be crazy for thinking it was familiarity.

"Okay, who's going where?" Lila finally asked, breaking the silence.

"We travel in pairs, it's safer," Shane stated sternly, his voice was weak and strained.

"There's five of us genius," Lila smirked back sarcastically, "Leaves me on my lonesome, I travel faster alone anyway."

"No," Daryl said, his voice heavy with anger. Everyone slowed their walking and looked amongst themselves and Lila knew exactly why…they didn't know what they were hearing from Daryl, a protective instinct?

"I ain't gunna change your mind am I?" Daryl asked a little quieter, the question was aimed purely at Lila.

"We're trying to find Carl, not start a debate as to whether or not women and men are equals, so how about I just go my way and if I don't come back presume me either dead or busy," Lila replied, kicking the horse into an immediate gallop, she pulled one baton out from its holster and held it up, however this last only a few moments as her balance began to waver. She hadn't been on a horse was at least a year, she'd had lessons her entire childhood…but unlike what everyone says, it's not exactly like riding a bike. She fought hard to gain control over the stubborn animal but soon found herself trotting through the forest at a steady pace.

"Carl!" Lila yelled, realising that making noise wasn't the best technique, but if she had any chance of finding the boy, it had to be done.

A couple of hours into the search, Lila had to try and stop herself thinking back to the nights she spent had alone in the woods – since this whole thing had broken out, she'd roughed it one too many times.

"Carl!" She yelled again, this time she was rewarded by a reply…something that literally shocked her into silence.

"Carl?" She called once again, holding the horse back.

"Here!" The voice, so quiet and frightened replied. Instantly, Lila kicked the horse into a gallop in what she hoped was the right direction.

The horse bounded over tree roots and branches as Lila did her best to keep herself from getting scratched by the bushes.

"I'm here!" Carl called again, urgency in his tone.

"I'm coming!" Lila replied, "Don't move!" Finally, the terrain got too much for her, or more importantly, the horse. It was unexercised and lazy, she brought the animal to a halt and began running wildly through the trees in an attempt to find him. He soon came into view, his hand waving in her direction.

"Are you okay? You haven't been bitten? Or scratched?" Lila asked desperately as she landed on her knees next to Carl, quickly grabbing his arms in an attempt to find any marks.

Carl shook his head, "No, nothing, I seen some of the walkers and just ran…I twisted my ankle I think."

"How long have you been running? Didn't they follow you?" Lila frowned.

"They were but they just stopped, it was like they got distracted or something," Carl answered, his eyes wide with fear. Lila glanced around the pair, making sure the coast was clear. She quickly looked over his ankle, only to find it was slightly swollen but generally didn't look too bad.

"Come on, we have to go now or we wont make it back before dark," Lila took Carl's hand and led him towards where she had left the horse, they walked slowly – Carl having to limp along behind Lila, his clothes wet with mud and weighing him down. It was only when Lila came to a sudden stop that either one of them muttered a word.  
>"What is it?" Carl asked, looking around himself for any nearby walkers.<p>

"Slowly, I want you to kneel down, as low as you can, so you're hiding in the bushes – okay?" Lila instructed Carl, her eyes locked with his. Carl merely nodded and did as he was told.

Lila crept up to the largest tree, peering around the side of it as she watched the horse being led away from where she had tied it up. Whoever was taking it away was an experienced rider, built at about 6 feet tall and heavy with muscle yet he threw himself up on that horse as if he weighed as much as a goose feather. Before Lila had a chance to think of a plan, the man was riding off through the trees, his many knives jingling like a chorus of bells against his belt. The knives she so clearly remembered. Quickly she crawled back towards Carl.

"We have to find somewhere to sleep tonight, whoever that was, there's probably more of the same group."

Lila tried to stay as calm as she could, but the tremble was so clear in her voice…and the tears threatened to spill over her cheeks the second she allowed her mind to clear.

"Come on," She took Carl's hand as they crept through the woods as quickly and quietly as they could…this was all fine, until a shattering pain filled her head and she found herself collapsing against the ground, the moist moss of the forest floor against her cheek.


	16. Chapter 16

_Sorry for the wait guys, it was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this past weekend and I work in a bar…so things were pretty hectic! I've spent the past few days resting! Enjoy this anyways, and please don't forget to leave a review!_

Chapter Sixteen

Lila groaned, stirring against the solid ground – everything was aching, her head felt as if it were about to implode, a thumping, razor sharp pain filled her ears and as she moved to sit up she felt herself grow dizzy and nauseous.

"Just as lazy as the day I met you," The voice filled the room, Lila was desperate to open her eyes – to know if it was really him, but the pain stopped her. Arms reached beneath her and pulled her up, before she could argue, freezing water was poured over her face, causing her to gasp with shock, her eyes wide with fear.

"There's those eyes," He smiled at her, his fingers running down her cheek. She pulled away from him, examining her surroundings.  
>"Don't worry, you're safe," He smirked, "You were always safe with me."<p>

"How did…how are you…" Lila began, but all of her thoughts were muddled in her brain and she found herself starting one sentence and forgetting where she was going.

"How am I alive?" Erik laughed, his head rolling back before he dropped his chin to lean on his hands, "Didn't tie those doors closed quite tight enough, did you Lila?"

"Fuck you," Lila hissed, shaking the double vision from her eyes, "Fuck you." Her voice was collapsing to a heartbreaking sob, she emptied her eyes of tears.  
>"Where is he?" Lila asked, her voice low and weak.<p>

"Oh the boy? He's fine, safe even. You taking in strays now?"

"I want to see him," Lila insisted.

"Come on then," Erik smiled, pulling Lila up – Erik dusted her off, before looking down at her, before she could comprehend what was happening, his fist crashed fully against her temple, instantly knocking her back to the ground.

"Worthless bitch, you think you can leave me for dead and then just run off into the sunset like nothin' ain't ever happened?"

Lila pressed her hand to her temple, pulling it away soaked with blood.

As Daryl roamed through the woods, he found only the slightest hint of Carl's tracks; he'd been walking with a limp, at least, nothing serious – just enough to make his tracks uneven and random.

It wasn't until he found the messed up ground behind some bushes and a separate pair of delicate tracks that he began to expect the worst.

"Over here!" Daryl yelled to Glenn, who instantly came jogging over to him.  
>"What?" Glenn frowned, looking off to where Daryl was pointing.<p>

"Carl, he was huddled here at some point," Daryl traced the steps forward, past the bush, "His prints are uneven until here, where another set link with them, one person in front of the other…size is small, not a mans. I'm bettin' if we go towards that direction we'll find horse tracks."

Glenn stared up toward Daryl with a raised eyebrow, "You're saying Lila already found Carl?"

"It looks that way."

"So why aren't they back at camp? They've got the horse, they should've beaten us all back there last night."

"Exactly," Daryl muttered, looking off into the woods, it was then that his eyes caught sight of the trail of blood, so slight and hidden he would have missed it on any other day. He knelt down, looking towards it.  
>"The smaller, even prints I think are Lila's ended about here…these are Carl's, with the limp. Those…they ain't a good sign…looks like a struggle," Daryl let out a sigh, signalling towards a couple of the larger looking prints he'd managed to find behind the bushes. Dread filled Daryl's stomach and played across Glenn's face, they both knew that nothing they'd found was good news.<p>

"I'll keep lookin', go tell Rick what we found," He ordered.

"But Daryl…" Glenn began but Daryl quickly silence him.  
>"What? You can't follow simple fuckin' instructions no more? Go tell him I'll find him!"<p>

Glenn turned to walk away, knowing deep inside that it wasn't really Carl that Daryl was looking for anymore…it was Lila.

Lila turned over onto her side, coughing up the remnants of her stomach. The second blow to her head had caused more damage that the first, the blood was thick and stained her face.

"Lila," Carl's voice urged as he shook her awake.

"Carl? Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Lila asked, her voice hoarse.

"I'm okay, are you? You don't look good," He looked petrified, his eyes wide with concern.

"I'm fine," Lila replied, more for her own benefit than Carls. She struggled to pull herself up against the wall, she pressed her hand to her temple which was still bleeding and hurt like a bitch. She took in their surroundings, it wasn't much…a run down shack in the middle of the woods by the looks of things – the wood was damp and starting break away from the walls, the windows were coated with mould. Then she recognised it…the bare bedroom and dirtied linen…it was the cabin she'd ran away to a few weeks ago, when Daryl had had to search for her. Lila let out a laugh filled with relief.  
>"Do you know how many of them there are?" She asked Carl.<p>

He shook his head, "I've seen three, all men."

"Okay…" She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the thumping in her head, "Okay, we need to wait until they're distracted…so that we can get you out."  
>"I'm not going without you!" Carl argued immediately.<p>

Lila smiled, "As proud as your dad would be if he could hear how brave you sound…I cant let you stay here. Listen to me very carefully, Carl," She breathed, lowering her voice, "The next time they open that door, you wait for my signal, the second I dive on him, you need to run. Run straight out of the house and through the woods. If you keep going in a dead straight line from the cabin door, you'll get to a signpost half way that gives directions to an old hiking route, follow those directions, you'll still be able to see the wooden edges outlining the path okay?"  
>Carl nodded with teary, frightened eyes.<p>

"Keep following that trail through the woods, if you see any walkers, you either run or you pick up the nearest branch or rock you can find, bash them in the head until you're certain they're dead, got it?"

"Got it," Carl repeated.

"Keep following the trail until you can see the field, the golden one, okay? Once you can see that field, you'll be able to find the farmhouse about a half a mile north. Don't stop for anyone Carl, and when you get to the farmhouse you've got to tell everyone that I'm at the cabin in the woods, make sure they know that Daryl will understand." Lila panted with anticipation, knowing it was going to take all of her strength to manage to fight off Erik.  
>"What about you in the meantime though? I don't want to leave you."<br>"I'll be fine," Lila answered, but her voice shook with fear and anticipation, "I'll be fine," She repeated, more to herself this time.

Lila prayed for the next two hours that the plan would go just as she hoped, but as she found herself drifting into a concussion induced sleep, she had no choice but to give in to whatever was to happen. With Carl's sprained ankle and her disorientation, she knew that against walkers and Erik's group, they had little chance of getting away safely. She awoke swiftly however, to the sound of a door slamming shut, a gust of wind funnelled through the cracks in the walls and she jumped. It was dull outside, rain, but it wasn't that that frightened her, it was the sound of gunshots and shouting.

Lila clambered to the window, it was entirely boarded up, but through one of the small cracks she could see something was going on, flashes of Erik's raven hair as he beat a walker to the ground, one of the group went down suddenly as two walkers gripped onto his arms and dragged him to the ground.

"What's going on?" Carl asked urgently as he limped towards the window.

"Walkers," Lila replied reluctantly, she knew this meant even more trouble for the escape plan she had managed to think up earlier.

"What if they get in?" Carl questioned.

"This could work in our favour," Lila muttered, turning back to Carl.  
>"How does your ankle feel?"<p>

"Sore but its okay," He replied.  
>"You can run?" She asked, Carl nodded in reply, but looked unsure.<p>

"Promise me you will run, no matter how sore your ankle gets, just keep going," Lila urged.

"I promise," He nodded frantically.

In a rush of movement, Lila ran towards the door, throwing her full weight into the wood. It creaked against her frame and she could already feel the bruises developing on her arm and shoulder. She tried a second time, a third and even a fourth before she started to get somewhere. The wood planks were breaking away from one another – her head was light and she was dizzy, but she couldn't stop. She knew she had enough time to break Carl free, just as long as she kept her eye on the goal and didn't let herself collapse in a heap like she wanted to.

"Get ready, Carl, remember what I told you, go straight to the farm and don't stop for anyone," Lila repeated before throwing her whole weight into the door again, this time the wood splintered, prickling her skin. Her hands dived into the wood, pulling it apart until she found the handle. The noise started to die down outside and she knew that time was short.

"Come on!" She hissed, taking Carl's hand and dragging him through into the main room of the cabin. She searched furiously for a way to get him out without catching the attention of Erik, but her efforts were cut short as a walker grappled to get close to them, reaching for arms and legs, Lila dodged out of the way, putting Carl behind her as she grabbed the shot gun lying upon the limp body of one of Erik's men, who lay face down in a pool of his own blood. She pumped the shot gun once before pulling the trigger, driving the shot deep into the walkers skull and causing it to crash to the ground in a heap.

"Out there!" Lila pushed Carl up onto the kitchen bench, opening the mildewed window and hoisting him outside.

"Run now, don't stop!" She yelled after him as he pounded through the woods, soon going out of sight. She closed her eyes, praying that he make it safely…she knew that he'd get there and tell them all about where she was and who she was with…she also knew that Rick wouldn't want anyone risking their lives for what was most likely a lost cause.

Lila turned around just as Erik stormed in, slamming the door behind himself and grabbing her by the neck.

"You'll pay for that little stunt, bitch!" He hissed in her ear, the scent of decay and metallic blood clung to his skin and she had to stop herself from throwing up.

"This is between you and me, Erik," She said quietly, her eyes meeting with his before he threw her to the ground, her back crashed into the flooring and knocked the wind from her lungs.

"You left me for dead, Lila!" He yelled, surprising her as he paced back and forth.

"You just left." Erik finalised, looking back to face her as she lay curled in a ball on the floor. His hand soon knocked her head against one of the floorboards and she fell into a deep, twisted sleep…but she knew, deep down inside, Erik wouldn't let her die. She was his for as long as he wanted to keep her.


	17. Chapter 17

_I'm so sorry this has taken so long! I got a bad review last time I updated and I think it threw me a little! But I'm back now and plan to finish this as intended! Please do review and let me know what you think._

_Thanks!_

Chapter Seventeen

The farm came into view just as Carl's ankle began to give way, he had dodged at least four walkers on the road, but he tried not to let the fear clog his memory as he rushed through the long golden crop towards the fence.

"Dad!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Dad!"

There was no reply, but Carl knew that the moment anyone heard him, he'd be safe.

"Dad!" He repeated urgently, his lungs burning from the run.

"Carl?" Rick's voice sounded from the farmhouse, heavy footsteps followed towards Carl as he climbed over the low fence and into the camping ground.

"Oh my god, Carl!" Lori rushed towards him, her arms already open and waiting his return. She crashed around him, folding him in against her, Rick soon following.

"Carl," Rick muttered in a broken breath of relief as he kissed the top of his head.

"Where were you? Are you hurt? Are you alright?" Lori questioned, fearing the worst.

Already people were crowding around the reunited family, but Carl searched only for one person.

"Lila is at the cabin in the woods, there are some men and there were walkers, five or maybe six of them. She said that you would know where she meant," Carl stated, ignoring his parents and looking straight towards Daryl.

Without anything said, Daryl turned away, walking towards his tent as he grabbed his crossbow and threw it over his back.

"You seriously need to think twice about going to get her, Daryl," Andrea stated.

"The girl saved the kids life, you tellin' me she don't deserve somethin' back?" He hissed, walking past Andrea.

"I'll go with you," Rick stated, reluctantly leaving his wife and son's side.

"You should be here with your family," Daryl replied, avoiding Rick's gaze.

"Like you said, she saved my son, ain't no way I'm ignoring that."

"Be safe, bring her home Daryl," Dale said, his hand patting Daryl lightly on the shoulder for just a moment.

"Let's go," Shane added, throwing one of the guns towards Rick and keeping one for himself.

"I'm in," Glenn added, much to Maggie's reluctance.

"She was hurt bad, she told me to run, that she'd be okay," Carl said, his voice urgent and panicked.

Rick patted his boy on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can," Rick's eyes moved up to Lori's this time, as he silently promised her he'd return safely.

Lila rolled over, blood pooled in her mouth as her hands gripped at his, trying her best to rip away from the grasp he had around her throat.

"You were everything to me, Lila Belle!" Erik yelled before standing up and pacing away from Lila. He had made an effort to patch up the doorways and windows of the cabin since Carl's escape and little to no light seeped in.

"Erik, I was nothing to you. You had a girlfriend, two kids and where were you? Too busy slappin' me around to save your real family?" Lila rolled over onto her hands and knees, coughing up blood and she forced oxygen into her lungs, "I could've been with my family and you could have been with yours, it didn't have to be like this and that's why you're so goddamn angry!" Lila screamed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, "I had to make a choice, Erik. I had to decide who was more deadly, you or those things out there," Lila paused, looking up at Erik, the man she'd been so madly in love with only a year ago, "You would have killed me, Erik. I'd rather face a world of those things than you. I took my chance, I had to leave!" Lila wept, unable to control herself any longer. "I left my family, my parents my sisters, my brothers, all for you!" She screamed, her voice breaking, "So go on, beat the shit out of me once more, end it now and put me out of this misery, you'd be doing me a favour." With Lila's words, Erik immediately pulled a knife from the holster at his hip and knelt down in front of her, gripping her vest top, he cut it open, throwing it to the side. He ran the tip of the knife across her collarbone, his eyes locked onto hers.

"Feel that?" He whispered sadistically as he pressed the knife into Lila's skin, a small trickle of crimson ran away from the wound and Lila tried not to cry.

"What did you think that speech would do Lila Belle? Hm? Did you think I'd cry, tell you I love you and let you run off while I kill myself here, all alone in this little cabin in the middle of no where? Think again bitch, I ain't that weak, you however-" Erik paused as he pressed the knife into Lila's skin, she let out a cry as he twisted it.  
>"You will be dying pretty damn soon, I gotta get my ass out of here and I ain't carrying no dead weight, no hard feelings babe." He slapped Lila back with one swoop of his hand, she lay bruised and broken in the middle of the cabin, her eyes grew dark and her head fuzzy, she was almost out of it enough to cancel out the pain as Erik cut across her skin, once, twice, three times. She began the lose count as the blood, so warm and sweet, fell down her sides.<p>

"I did love you," Lila muttered, "I loved you a lot, enough to run away with you, marry you," She coughed, struggling to breathe as her chest ached with the beating she had taken, "Enough to leave everything I had in the middle of chaos, just to be close to you. I trusted you." Silence filled the cabin, the pain stopped and Lila finally thought it was over. He'd had enough. Until her eyes opened just long enough to see the tip of the arrow as it penetrated through Erik's chest.

The four of them made their way quickly and silently through the woods, it was about a seven mile journey on foot, and by the time the cabin was in sight, the sun was burning high and mighty in the centre of the blue sky. A trail of bloodied bodies, both of walkers and men, lay scattered around the grounds.

They checked the grounds as best they could, but it was Daryl that first spotted him, leaning over her, a knife pressed into the skin of her bare chest. He glanced towards Rick, who nodded solemnly in reply to his silent request. Daryl loaded his crossbow with ease, aiming it directly at the man's chest, he purposely missed his heart – but still the man collapsed off to the side of Lila as the arrow whistled straight through flesh and muscle.

"Lila!" Daryl yelled as he ran towards her. He knelt down beside her, forgetting all tactic as he removed his shirt and wrapped it around her bruised, battered torso. He couldn't believe his eyes as he took her in, her face was practically unrecognisable, blood was smeared across one whole side of her face, a wound at her temple seemed to have bled profusely, whilst her lips were split and swollen.  
>"Is he dead?" She managed to slur, her eyes still half closed as unconsciousness threatened her.<br>"No, hurt, but not dead," Daryl answered, moving the hair back from her face.

"Kill him," She whispered, sounding almost reluctant, "But I don't want to see it, please." Tears streaked her blood stained cheeks and Daryl's heart broke. He should have been looking out for her, should have never let her go off on her own.

"Take her, will you?" Daryl, nodding towards Rick, who immediately lifted her from the ground, only to feel the trickle of warmth run down his arm, as he looked down at Lila he couldn't help but panic. The wound was deep, jagged. Definitely not a bite, but the blood was relentless.

"Don't think that's going to be an option," Rick stated as he lay Lila back down, turning her over slightly as he examined the wound.

"She ain't worth saving," A gruff, choked voice sounded from the man lying on the floor.

"Shut it!" Daryl slammed a foot into his side as he moved around to Lila.

"I know what you see when you look at her, she's beautiful, cute little blonde thing with a little fire about her, best piece'a ass I've had," The man cough, blood staining his lips, "But she stabbed me in the back, just like she will you."

"You know it was more than that," Lila's voice was quiet, her words shook with each breath she inhaled, but the man went silent.

"I loved you, you betrayed me. Don't try and turn this shit around, Erik. I would have loved you for an eternity…except it wasn't love, I the only thing I felt was obedience." She was shivering now, losing blood too quickly from the wound at her side.

"Take her, now!" Daryl yelled at Rick, who reluctantly pressed his shirt against the wound and picked her up. Shane left first, followed by Rick and Lila.

When the dull thud of an arrow hitting flesh echoed throughout Lila's ears, her hand fell open, her eyes closed in relief, as the small box holding the delicate ring, fell to the floor. Suddenly, a weight was lifted, her shoulders slumped and she fell into a blissful sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, wow! I'm so glad there's still people here to read this, it's awesome! Enjoy this chapter, and prepare for a little less drama…a little of the lovin'!_

Chapter Eighteen

The men ran towards the farmhouse, Lila now lay in the warmth of Daryl's arms, cradled against his chest. As Hershel's home came into view, he sped up, making sure to be gentle with her. He had to fight the urge to scream and shout and argue, he told himself it was useless – being angry with her would make no difference to what had happened.

"Bring me everything in my case, Maggie, I'll need it," Hershel stated as he met Daryl, Rick and Shane at the edge of the field, "Bring her straight up stairs." He ordered as he made his way inside.

As Daryl walked up the stairs, into the first bedroom and lay Lila on the bed, he looked down at her face, covered entirely in blood and patterned with bruises, she was a shadow of her former self.

"I understand she's important to you Daryl, but I'm goin' to need you to leave for a few moments, we need to gather a game plan of some sort," Hershel said, as calm as ever.

"I ain't leavin'." Daryl's voice was heavy and stern.

"Let him work, Daryl," Rick said calmly, his hand reaching for Daryl's arm, but he pulled away violently, taking a swing for him without thinking, but Rick dodged, Shane gripping Daryl's arms and holding him back.

"You can drag my sorry ass outside but I'll be back in here in a second. I. Ain't. Leavin'." Daryl's voice was determined as he turned his attention back to the unconscious Lila, blood oozed from the stab wound at her side.

"She's got a lot of damage to the tissue and muscle along her left side, isn't much I can do about that now. Knife went in at an angle, I can repair some of it in the meantime, but she'll have pain, maybe for the rest of her life, I can't be sure," Hershel said as he began trying to repair some of the damage. Daryl watched as Lila began to stir, her eyes fluttering awake sleepily, she tried to move away as she was hit by the rush of pain from her injuries.

"Someone has to keep her still," Hershel's voice rang out and immediately Daryl was at Lila's side, he tried his best to get her attention but the panic in her eyes was almost too painful for him to witness.

"Hey, hey, we got'cha, you're back at the farm, you'll be fine." Daryl spoke, his voice low and calm as his hand brushed lightly against her hair. It was so sudden, Daryl barely had time to notice the movement, her eyes closed, her chest fell and didn't rise, her fingertips twitched before stilling.

"What's happened?" He asked, but he was cut off as Lila's body went into a fit of spasms, shaking and rattling the bed beneath her.

"She's having a seizure, I need you to put a pillow behind her head, make sure she doesn't hurt herself," Hershel added, and Daryl couldn't move, he stood, staring, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Get him out of here! Maggie, hold her shoulders!" Hershel shouted amidst the chaos.

Hours passed, Daryl was sat in the dining room of the farm house, a number of the others joined him in silence as they waited. The creek of footsteps on the stairs was enough to cause almost everyone to jump to attention.

Hershel appeared seconds later, rubbing his hands against each other before he paused.

"She's stable it wasn't good for an hour or so, we weren't sure what the biggest problem was, but we found some bleeding, a wound at her head that looked pretty serious," Hershel paused "She seems okay for now, but we'll need to see…we wont know until…if she wakes up. We won't know how serious it is. In the meantime, we need supplies, antibiotics, bandages, painkillers."

"I'll go, ain't no use in me sittin' here doin' nothin'…"Daryl stood up, throwing his crossbow over his shoulder.

"You should stay, she'll be frightened when she wakes up, she'll want you there," Lori stated, surprising the rest of the group and causing Daryl to stop and frown back at her.

"I ain't her keeper," Daryl said before he swiftly exited the farmhouse.

"I'll go with him," Glenn said, following out of the house.

"I better go up there, she'll need to have someone there when she wakes up, I owe her that at the very least." Lori said, smiling at Carl, ruffling his hair before she made her way towards Lila's room. As she opened the door and seen her lying there, it was difficult not to feel bad. This young girl had sacrificed herself for Carl and that was something that Lori would never forget. Lori lay a hand on top of Lila's and couldn't stop herself shedding a tear as she spoke.

"Thank you," She whispered, "Whatever family you had before all of this, they'd be proud of what you've done. I certainly won't forget it."

The room was silent as the sun began to shine through the window and into Lila's room. Her eyes fluttered uncomfortably open, a pain shot through her head and echoed in her ear as she struggled to move. She grasped at the pain in her side, unable to stop herself from screaming through gritted teeth.

"Calm down, you're alright, Hershel!" A female voice rang out around Lila but she couldn't begin to comprehend it. She writhed in pain upon the bed, trying desperately to escape.

"We have to give her something, she's in too much pain!"

"There's nothing to give, Lori. We have nothing left, we used all the pain meds we had to keep her knocked out through the surgery. We won't have anything until Daryl gets back and that's only if he's managed to find something."

"Knock me out, please!" Lila screamed at them as they stood discussing the matter, her eyes blurred and tearing up as she spoke.

"I'm begging you to knock me out!" She repeated.

"We can't do that Lila, it's great you're awake we can't risk you falling unconscious again so quickly, you need to wait until Daryl gets back, he might have something," Hershel said as he moved Lila back onto the bed, lifting her vest to examine the wound, his face twisted at the angry flesh that shone a bright red in colour around the wound. An engine sounded from outside and immediately Lila was struggling against Hershel in an attempt to get to the window.

"Is it Daryl?" She asked, Lori, moved to the window and she nodded.

"That's him," Lori replied and immediately Lila shakily moved off of the bed, her hands clinging to the sheets to steady herself.

"You'll do yourself more harm by moving, Lila," Hershel prompted as he attempted to lead her back to bed. She pulled away from him groaning at the pain she felt in her side.  
>"I spent the past few days thinking I'd never get to see him again, you can try and stop me but I'll fight until there's nothing left." There were tears in Lila's eyes that she managed to ignore as she limped out of the room, holding her side as she clung to the banister and walked down the stairs.<p>

As she walked through the house and outside, she stood on the porch, other's turned to look at her as she limped towards Daryl, who was searching through the supplies he'd gathered, his back turned.

"Daryl?" Lila managed to mutter with a dry mouth as she moved slowly towards him, the pain racked her body but she ignored it as best she could. The second Daryl turned to look at her, the pain was worth it. She halted, staring into his eyes before he ran towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist; his face nestled in her hair, suddenly what the others knew wasn't important to him anymore, all that mattered was keeping Lila safe.

"You're an idiot," Daryl said, stepping back to cup Lila's face in his hands.

"I won't argue with that," She laughed, the tears falling freely as she studied Daryl's concerned expression – trying so hard to pierce his tough exterior.

"You're stupid but you were brave. I respect that…" He said, his tone gentle, "But if you ever do anythin' like that again, I swear to god, LB."

Lila laughed, "Okay."

"Promise, Lila, I ain't doin' this again, I ain't watchin' you killin' yourself and actin' like you know it all and can do it all and whatever."

"I promise, it's over," Lila said, a sad smile played on her lips, she knew that it would never be truly over. Erik was dead, Daryl had killed him…but her family could still be out there, and she was determined to find them, just not now. She needed to let herself enjoy Daryl, even if it was selfish and even if it was just for a little while.


	19. Chapter 19

_I'm so sorry it's been so long! Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Review please!_

Chapter Nineteen

Lila held onto the fence as she walked, one hand still clasped to her heavily bandaged side whilst she moved, Hershel was stood a few feet in front of her urging her on.

"I don't think it's getting any better," Lila said with a sigh as she came to a halt, her eyes locking with Hershel's.

"There's a lot of scar tissue, a lot of damage, especially to the muscles. It's going to take a while before you get back to normal." He replied.

"You mean if I get back to normal?" She questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Damage like this doesn't just go away, you know it'll take rehabilitation and since we don't have the basic facilities…walking up and down this fence is about as good as you'll be getting in the next few weeks." Hershel smiled slightly as Lila continued to walk towards him.

"Quit slackin' LB!" Daryl's voice called as he carried a few logs towards the group of tents.

"Shut up Dixon, I'm not in the mood for your crap in my current situation!" She shouted, feeling the need to stomp her feet, but worried about the pain it would cause, she refrained.

"Lady got a smart mouth," Daryl replied, "She fit for training yet, doc?"

Hershel smiled, "Not far off. Few more steps and we'd be looking at a future Olympian." He joked.

"Okay, first off, the Olympics no longer exist since there's no future and secondly, I don't appreciate you people mocking the hero…come on, gimme a break." Lila's voice was riddled with sarcasm but she broke the second she caught the expression on Daryl's face, the look in his eyes was priceless before he continued walking. She had a feeling she knew what he had meant by 'training' and it didn't involve anything dead and rotting.

As everything sat around the table to eat, Lila took her spot by Carl – it had become a regular occurrence since the situation with Erik. As the food appeared and they tucked in, Carl broke the silence, looking up towards Lila before he spoke.

"Why don't you tell the story about how you got me out of the cabin? No one's heard it yet?" Suddenly the gentle clicking of cutlery and the polite conversation had diminished and all that was left was a dense awkwardness. Lila's eyes caught Daryl's from across the table.

"I don't think that's appropriate dinner conversation, Carl," Rick stated quietly, nudging his son's arm as he spoke.

"I just figured everyone would want to know, no one really asked," Carl replied.

"Maybe they shouldn't know," Lila's voice surprised everyone as she spoke to Carl, "We can keep it to ourselves, our secret mission, accomplished?" She suggested with a grin where the strain was barely noticeable.

"Cool," Carl smiled up at Lila and she turned away, she glanced only momentarily back towards Daryl before subtly wiping a rogue tear from her cheekbone. The issue was, no one had really asked her about Erik, about how she felt about the fact Daryl had been the one to kill him. Honestly, she was sure she'd never be able to forget – at one point her and Erik had had something special, something strong enough to drag her away from her family, away from the life she'd grown accustomed to. That wasn't going anywhere overnight.

"You alright?" Rick asked quietly as everyone continued eating, Lila had forgotten where she was, her hand was wrapped so tightly around the knife in her palm that her knuckles, as bruised as they were, had gone white. She dropped it suddenly and began to get to her feet.

"I'm fine," She smiled, her hands steadying herself on the chair. Daryl had quickly stood to help her, but Lila shook her head.

"I said I'm fine, I have to learn how to do this on my own at some point." Slowly she moved outside, her hands steadying herself on the wall the entire way.

An awkward silence settled over the group before one person decided to speak up.  
>"I think it's probably about time to talk about the elephant in the room here," Shane stated, "The situation with Randall hasn't been resolved yet, been too busy rescuing blondes." His eyes flashed towards Daryl's briefly.<p>

"I'll take care of it, tonight." Rick replied.

"Take care of it?" Dale questioned, a look of distress flashing across his eyes.

"There isn't anything else we can do, Dale."

"That's not right, he's locked away, there's no need to, to murder him when he's stuck in there, he isn't harming anyone locked up." Dale argued, standing up from the table.

"It isn't safe for the group," Rick glanced towards Shane before rubbing at his eyes, "I'm sorry, there's no other choice."

Lila took a slow, deep breath, her side burning as her chest expanded and deflated. The slam of a door behind her caused her to glance to the side, Dale exited quickly, an expression on his face that startled Lila.

"What's wrong?" She asked with a frown.

"Randall, they want to murder him, execute him, just like that, without even talking it through with the rest of us." Dale stood, looking out over the farm as the sun hung just above the trees, dimming in the distance. With the mention of his name, Lila shuddered, struggled to keep herself calm and glanced over to Dale.

"What do you think they should do?" She asked, remembering the kindness Dale had offered her when she first arrived.

"A trial, keep him contained, locked down, it's still safe for the camp…but it appears democracy isn't key here anymore."

"The camp got scared with Carl disappearing, with me coming back half dead. They're frightened, they're just looking for one more way to diminish some of the dark in this life. I'm sorry Dale but…forgetting about what Randall has done to me, I don't see what's wrong with trying to repair what can be repaired, which in this world, isn't a hell of a lot." Lila said quietly, her hand fell upon Dale's and she smiled.

"On the other hand, it's better to live in fear and know that people like you still exist. People that want to do good even if it terrifies them," Lila shook her head.

"Like you," Dale smiled, a sadness in his eyes, "You got a child home to his parents and I cant imagine the sacrifice you had to make to do that."

His words caused tears to prick at Lila's eyes.

"You did a good thing, Lila. A really good thing." Dale clarified, patting the top of Lila's hand before he made his way down the stairs and towards the fields.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I need a walk, clear my head." He said as he continued walking, Lila sat down on the porch steps, wiping a few of the tears from her eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

_Thanks to everyone that has reviewed the last chapter! Here is the next one for you and I'm already half way through writing chapter twenty one, so enjoy this and keep those reviews coming._

_P.S._

_I'm still heartbroken over Dale's death *sniffs*_

Chapter Twenty

The grass blew gently against itself in the evening wind as Lila stared out into the darkness. All was peaceful until the guttural scream echoed from the fields in front of her.

Immediately fear ripped through her chest, knowing that Dale had walked into those same fields just moments ago, she leapt back from the porch and slammed open the door to the house.

"Bring the guns!" She screamed before jogging as fast as she could to the fields, the pain of her injuries couldn't stop her as she pushed herself to move faster. The sound of the screaming hit her deep in her chest as she began to panic, what was she supposed to do? With no weapon and injuries stopping her from being able to fight? She clamoured over the fence, falling down into the grass before pulling herself back to her feet.

"Dale!" Lila called, trying to place where the screams were coming from. She aimed north west and ran as fast as she could. She seen the walker before she seen anything else and froze, beneath the walker lay Dale and for a split second she couldn't move. But something stirred inside her, the words he had uttered to her just seconds ago. She looked around, searching for anything to hit the walker with, but there was nothing. In that moment she had one option, she had no time to think about it. She jumped on top of the walker, her arms holding tightly around its neck as she did her best to wrestle it from Dale. It flailed against her, slamming decaying limbs into her sides as it tried to find something to bite.

"Daryl!" Lila screamed, tears in her eyes as she tried to fight the walker. A gunshot echoed around her before the walker went still. She pushed it off of her and crawled towards Dale, whose eyes were fluttering in confusion.

"I'm here, it's okay, you're going to be just fine," She smiled, tears cascading down her cheeks as she tried to stop the bleeding at the Dale's stomach.

"What the hell happened?" Rick asked as he collapsed beside Lila.

"Nothing, it's not important," Lila hissed towards Rick as she turned her attention back to Dale, who was still glancing around in terror.

"You're okay, don't worry," Lila tried to reassure Dale, even though she knew in the pit of her stomach that this was it.

"Remember the things," Dale spluttered, his hand tightening around Lila's, "Remember, you…" He tried to continue but he gasped.

"Oh god," Andrea cried in the background. I heard the click of a gun behind me and turned to find Rick pointing it directly at Dale.

"You can't just kill him like some animal," Lila cursed.

"There ain't nothin' can be done now, LB," Daryl whispered, his hand briefly touching her shoulder. Lila turned back to Dale, whose hand had gone cold.

"I can't…" Lila began. She watched as Daryl took the gun from Rick's trembling hand, he knelt down beside Dale.

"Sorry brother."

The air in Lila's lungs abandoned her, she coughed out a whimper as she looked at Dale's lifeless body in front of her. He had been a friend to her, perhaps one of the nicest people she'd met even before the walkers. Lila got shakily to her feet, her hands and arms covered with Dale's blood. She turned and began walking away from Dale's body and the group, back towards the farmhouse.

The farm was silent; with no sign of any conflict having ever happened. The others slowly began to return, Andrea wept, her heart hurting just as much as Lila's was. Lila didn't look up again, she laid her face against her forearms as she cried, finding that once she'd started she couldn't stop.

"LB," A voice sounded from in front of her and she glanced up to find Daryl kneeling down in front of her so that he could meet her eyes.

"Come on, gotta get you washed up." As Lila took note of what he had said, she looked at herself, her arms and hands stained with blood and her clothes not fairing much better. She nodded solemnly, allowing Daryl to follow her into the house and up the stairs. He ran the bath and began to remove Lila's dirtied clothing, as she stood in her underwear he ran a thumb over the bruises and scars across her sides and stomach.

"We seem to end up here a lot," Daryl said as he switched off the tap.

"At least one of us ain't dead yet," He stated and before Lila could stop herself, she threw her palm against his cheekbone. Daryl flinched away and for a few moments afterwards he stared down at the ground. When he finally met Lila's blood shot eyes his expression was softened, only slightly.

"Do it again," Daryl stated "Go on. Hit me again." Lila stared at him, her brow furrowed as she fought back the urge to cry.

"If it makes you feel better, hit me. Take it out on me, go on!" Daryl raised his voice, turning away from Lila he ran a hand over his face, leaning against the bathroom counter. The pair stayed quiet, both too afraid to be the first to speak.

"It shouldn't be like this," Lila whimpered, crossing her bloodied arms over her stomach.

"No shit, LB," Daryl turned and shouted at her, causing her to flinch back.

"I shouldn't have to kill a friend, you shouldn't be vyin' after my attention like some love sick puppy, the dead shouldn't be comin' back to life but all this shit is damn well happenin'!" He yelled, his face so close to Lila's their noses were almost touching.

They stayed there for a few minutes, staring directly at each other, the skin of their noses embraced in a forbidden Eskimo kiss. Before Lila grazed her lips across Daryl's, so gently he almost hadn't felt it.

Slowly Daryl found his own lips searching for hers, their tongues intertwined, her hands wrapped around his neck as he gripped at her bare hips. Slowly they sank lower, until Lila found her back coming into contact with the shock of cool tile, a surprise to her sore and damaged torso. His hands were calloused and rough as he removed her bra, tossing it aside as his mouth patterned the supple skin. Lila couldn't help but allow a small, quiet moan to escape from her lips as she grappled with Daryl's shirt. She threw it from his shoulders as she found herself more and more desperate to feel every inch of him against her. It was feverish and desperate but something inside of her called out to him, this needed to happen, she needed it to happen. He pulled back for a second, his brow heavy with tension as he examined her expression, his eyes filled with sadness and confusion. All Lila had to do was nod and he moved his hand lower, tugging her underwear from her before he undid his own jeans. Lila braced herself, her hand gripping at the muscle of Daryl's arms. He didn't remove his eyes from hers as he pushed deep inside her.

Lila exhaled, holding onto him as he moved above her, she fought back the groans battling in her throat as she kept her arms locked around him, her nails digging into his flesh. It wasn't a perfect scenario, it wasn't even close but when the world was this frightening, what was truly perfect? Any doubt she may have had, any of the tears she may have shed, disappeared. It was just her and Daryl, and as his lips devoured hers once more, she struggled to remember the last time she felt so entirely whole.

_THAT SHIT JUST HAPPENED! Ahem, soooorry, please review, I've got some things coming up in the next few chapters that could be veeeery interesting!_


	21. Chapter 21

_I hope you guys are enjoying this, here's another update for you, please do review! It makes me update much faster._

Chapter Twenty One

Things were always going to be difficult, in this new world Lila realised everything was strained and short lived. Yet as she stood by Dale's grave with everyone else, she couldn't stop herself from feeling cheated. As everyone said their goodbyes, she found herself unable to say anything, the confusion from her night with Daryl just hours before along with the grief of losing a friend, was too much for her to handle.

"I've never buried anyone before," Lila said quietly as the group listened.

"He was my friend, I can't…" She stopped, "I'm sorry." With that she found herself turning away from the group and walking back towards the farmhouse. She couldn't bring herself to say goodbye to Dale, images of him as he died were still fresh in her mind and the memories of last night were clouding her vision.

Lila made her way to her tent, sitting down inside it and taking in the silence surrounding her. Slowly she lifted her top to reveal the remainder of her injuries, still fresh and painful. She ran her finger tips over the mutated flesh and winced.

"Knock, knock," A voice sounded from outside before Maggie opened the zip of the tent and climbed inside.

"How are you?" She asked, sitting down cross legged on the hard ground.

"I'll survive," Lila shrugged.

"If you need anything, Lila, let me know, from what I've gathered you guys will be here for the winter. Please, don't feel like you have to be alone through all this," The sincerity in Maggie's eyes caused Lila to cry yet again. She found herself reliving the past few months and the cries turned into sobs as she collapsed on the ground of the tent, Maggie stroking back her hair. She'd abandoned her family, tried to kill her boyfriend, been captured, raped and beaten and after finally thinking she'd found a place to feel safe, with a man she could see herself loving…Erik had come back, been killed and then Dale…it was all too much for her brain to handle as she wept. She hadn't even noticed when Daryl took over from Maggie, not until he pulled her up into his chest as if she were a child.

"Quiet now. Ain't no good you bawlin' like a baby," Daryl said, but his tone was lacking in his usual attitude.

"Drink this," Daryl passed her a glass of water and she downed the liquid quickly before taking note of the salty taste.

"What is this?" She asked, dropping the glass as her vision grew fuzzy, "What'd you give me?" She asked again, slurring her words into one another. Daryl didn't answer, or if he did, Lila didn't notice. As she fell into a sleep drenched with nightmares.

Her head pounded the next morning, as she opened her eyes to find a dull light sinking through the thin tent material. She placed a hand to her head as she got up, removing the blanket that had bee covering her. As she clambered slowly from the tent she heard a commotion outside of the farmhouse. The sun was setting, she'd been asleep from a whole day, possibly more. Her balance was unsteady as she tried to stand up, reaching for the gun in her bag she shakily walked over to where some of the group were stood.

As she got closer she noticed Shane's bloodied face and serious expression, Daryl was stood with Rick and Glenn.

"You son of a bitch," Lila said, realising her speech was still slurred. Daryl turned around and Lila lunged at him clumsily, he was forced to grip her wrists to stop her from hitting him.

"Calm the hell down, woman!" He yelled, keeping her restrained.

"You drugged me," Lila hissed.

"It was for your own good, LB," Daryl replied.

"It was my idea," Rick's voice interrupted, "I told him to do it. Was the only way to make sure you stayed here."

"Why would you need me to stay?" Lila frowned, looking between the men.

"What happened to you?" She asked Shane, who pressed a cloth to his head.

"Randall is gone," Shane replied "Escaped, beat the shit outta me and took my gun." That was all Lila needed to here, she pulled herself away from Daryl, staring him directly in the eye.

"You did this to me? Just thought you'd knock me out and get rid of him without me knowing?" She questioned, hurt evident in her voice.  
>"What would you'a done, Lila? Gone off on another one of your missions, got yourself nearly killed again? Wait for someone to come save you like you always do? Better this way, you ain't hurtin' nobody or yourself," Daryl spat the words like venom, causing a pain to radiate in Lila's chest. Whatever they had shared the a few nights ago had disappeared, nothing but a distant memory.<p>

"Look at all of you, thinking you're doing me a favour? I would have killed him myself, would've saved everyone the effort of hiding things from me!" Lila stepped back, her hands in her hair and tears formed in her eyes.

"Do you people even understand what they did to me?" Her voice broke beneath the strain, "This isn't some mission," She aimed the statement at Daryl, "They would have kept me until I wasn't any use to them anymore, they left me for dead by the road, walker bait. They spent months torturing me. This wasn't a childish vendetta against some moderately bad guy. You took away the only chance I had at sleeping through the night without nightmares and you did that shit behind my back!" Lila threw her gun down on the ground and walked away, she was shaking with a mixture of adrenaline and anger

"Screw you people, I'm finished!"

She stared at the worn photograph in her hands, her family stared back at her, tears ran down her cheeks as she took note of the familiarity of her mother's eyes, the sweetness of Ada's smile. Her heart ached for them, not knowing whether they were alive or dead…or worse. She held the radio in her hands, fiddling with the dials in an attempt to hear something other than static.

"Hey," A voice appeared from behind her and she quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks, she turned to see Daryl stood, his crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"I don't have anything to say to you, Daryl," She replied.

"I ain't about to apologise for shit, just thought I'd tell you we're goin' out lookin' for the boy."

"Was the other night part of this plan too?" She asked quietly, her voice barely audible.

"What the hell you talkin' about?" Daryl hissed.

"Was sleeping with me just another ploy to get me to trust you?" She struggled to allow the words to leave her mouth, too hurt to put effort behind them.  
>Daryl stayed quiet and still, staring directly at Lila before he shook his head.<p>

"If I find him first, he'll be dead before he can ask for mercy." Daryl said, scoffing about turning away from Lila, who watched him leave with an ache in her chest. She didn't know what to believe when it came to Daryl, so instead of thinking about it she turned her eyes back to the picture in her hands and tried to think of a time she was happy. But nothing came to mind, except for the time she had spent with Daryl. Part of her knew that she was overreacting, yet she couldn't help but feel betrayed by the men of the group. Surely after everything she'd been through, she deserved some kind of retribution.

_I made a trailer for bittersweet, it's on youtube so here is the link! __ watch?v=_ZqcXDjhnuo_


	22. Chapter 22

_Enjoy and thank you for all the favourites, alerts and reviews, its really appreciated! Please if you have a spare minute whilst you're reading, let me know what you think about the fic, reviews are awesome._

Chapter Twenty Two

It was only when she heard Daryl's voice that she stood and made her way over to him, her arms folded over her chest. The look on his face didn't give her much hope.

"We found him," Daryl stated bluntly, standing still a few feet in front of her, he took note of the dark circles beneath her eyes and the way she nervously fiddled with her blonde hair.

"Alive?" She asked, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Not exactly," Daryl replied, removing his jacket and putting it around Lila's shoulders, she tensed beneath the gesture.

"Relax, good lord its only a jacket, you're half dead with the cold," Daryl hissed, frowning.  
>"What do you mean not exactly?"<p>

"He was a walker, looked like his neck had been broken. Weren't no bites or scratches or nothin'. Told the group but we don't know what's goin' on, from what I can gather Shane's been lyin' about whatever went down in those woods."

"But he's dead?" Lila asked, the words catching in her throat.

"Killed him myself, told you I would."

"It doesn't change what you did to me," Lila replied, causing Daryl to lift his eyes to hers, "I trusted you, with my life and you used that to go against my back. Did you know they were planning this when we slept together?"

"Lila this shit went down for your own good! I told you I can't be runnin' around after you when there's things need doin'. I ain't your babysitter, woman."

"That isn't what I'm saying! If you'd asked me yourself to stay put at camp while you people did whatever you had to do with Randall, I would've listened to you." Her words seemed to strike Daryl, as his frown deepened in confusion.

"You seem to be under some impression that this is somethin'," He motioned his finger between himself and Lila as he spoke, "It ain't." He finalised, turning around and walking off, causing Lila to grab his jacket and run up to him, shoving him back so that he stumbled.

"Take your goddamn jacket," She threw it at him, tears falling from her eyes as the events of the day began to take their toll. "I don't wanna see you try to save me again, I'm so sorry you've been doing me favours all this time." Lila turned away, reaching her tent and grabbing all of her belonging, she began shoving them into her bag. She stared at the gun Daryl had given her a few weeks before, dropping it on the ground as she picked up her batons. Tying her hair into a pony tail and tightening the laces on her boots, she began to walk away from the camp.

Carol made her way over to Daryl, who was sharpening his knife with a rock on the outskirts of the yard, a frown embedded on his brow.

"Where's Lila going?" She asked, but Daryl barely looked up from what he was doing.

"Hell if I care," He grumbled in reply.

"Daryl…" Carol began to say, but he cut her off.

"You got no right to come over here askin' me stupid ass question, expectin' me to give a damn about her, about everyone. You're as bad as she is," Daryl hissed.

"She's gone Daryl," Carol said, and Daryl struggled to hold his composure, halting what he was doing for just a second before he continued, his guard immediately put up.

"Good," He replied "Get outta here, go on!" He shouted, causing Carol to flinch away from him, turning to make her way back towards the group.

It was as Lila was on the road away from camp that she heard it. It didn't sound like much, light footsteps and the brush of bushes and grass. But as she turned to stare towards the fields, squinting through the dark – she saw them, an entire hoard of walkers as they made their way towards the farmhouse. She couldn't decide what to do, for a split second she was confused and frightened. Yet her legs began to move, she sprinted back towards the farmhouse, it wasn't far, only about a half of a mile. But walkers were already gaining on her, having heard her heavy footsteps. She raised one of her batons and slammed it down against one of the walkers heads as she moved, dodging out of the way of some of the others. She seen Glenn first and began waving her hands in an attempt to get his attention.

"Glenn!" She screamed, tackling a walker as she went.  
>"Glenn, get everyone out of here!" Lila called, finally Glenn turned to see her, a panicked look on his face as he took note of the few walkers following her.<p>

"The fields!" She screamed again as she got closer, his expression dropped when he turned to see the hoard of walkers in the distance, gaining on the farm.

"You need to get everyone into the vehicles, get all of the weapons, I'll warn everyone I see, try and fight off what I can, go!" Lila said as she reached him, Glenn ran to the farmhouse, yelling to the others as he did so.

"Daryl!" She shouted, moving towards his tent to find him gathering his things, his crossbow in hand.  
>"I know, take this," He replied, handing her the gun she had dropped earlier.<p>

"You're gunna need it," His hand grazed hers momentarily as he passed her the weapon.

"Daryl, I…" She began.

"Ain't no time, tell me when you're not dead," Daryl replied, running off towards his truck, opening the doors for T-dog and Lori to climb in.

Lila loaded the gun and began to aim at the walkers making their way over the fences. Quickly things turned to chaos, there were gunshots and screaming and Lila couldn't think straight. She pointed the gun, taking down a couple of walkers, realising they were coming at her too fast, she turned towards the farmhouse. Hershel was out front, shooting them as best he could.

"Hershel get to the damn cars!" She screamed, gripping onto the drainpipe that clung to the house.

"My farm, I'll die with it!" He yelled back, "Get to safety!"

"Exactly what I'm doing," Lila mumbled to herself as she flung her way up the drainpipe, a walker clinging to her ankle as she pulled herself up, making a mental note of how much easier gymnastics had been when she was fourteen and not being chased by dead people.

She reached the roof and began shooting, finding that she could see where the shots were needed from a height. As the barn went up in flames and walkers overran the place, Lila struggled to keep her cool. Her eyes searched for people, she seen Carol backed into a corner and started shooting at the walkers surrounding her. Carol looked up in terrified thanks just as Daryl pulled up on his bike. He looked back to where the shots had come from, his brow furrowing as he realised who it was.

"Get your ass down here!" He yelled, his face red with anger, "Lila!" Daryl screamed again with urgency and Lila felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned only to be faced with a walker, she struggled with it for a second, it had trapped one of her arms in front of her as it attempted to get to her neck. She pressed her gun as best she could to its chest, propelling the walker backwards. She hadn't noticed as the roof beneath her feet started to crack, her balance wavered and her feet slipped from beneath her. She fell from the roof with a thud, leaving her confused on the ground. She fought off the walkers close to her, punching and kicking as best she could before she managed to get to her feet. A pain in her side brought her to a halt as she took note of the blood as it began to pour from the broken stitches of her last wound. The scent caught the attention of a few walkers and she seen no better option than to just run as fast as she could. She dodged past a few of the strays, holding a hand to her side.

"Get the hell on," Daryl's voice appeared, his bike coming to a halt in front of her. She climbed onto the back of the bike, turning herself around as she reloaded her gun, she held onto the railing at the back as they drove off. Lila aimed as best she could on the back of the bike, shooting the walkers that gained on them. But soon enough, she grew weak, the wound in her side soaking her top with blood. She watched through blurred vision as the farmhouse came crashing down, flames licking at the leftovers.


	23. Chapter 23

_Here's the next chapter for you guys, I would really appreciate some more reviews…_

_If you haven't checked it out already, there's a link to the trailer I made for this story on my profile (or on the previous chapter). _

Chapter Twenty Three

Lila lay on her back in the truck, Daryl hovering above her as she bit into her fist to stop herself from screaming. It was dark and Lila was made to hold a flashlight as Daryl forced the needling through her skin. Tears filled her eyes unwillingly as he pulled the thread through.

"This is just your way of getting back at me for calling you a lying piece of ass," Lila hissed as Daryl continued stitching up her wound.

"Yeah, this ain't for your own good or nothin', not like you'd be bleedin' to death right now if it weren't for me," He replied sarcastically.

"I'm sorry I pissed you off, I feel like an asshole after all of this going down," Lila said, closing her eyes and holding onto the car seat in an attempt to breathe through the pain.

"You were right, I was being a child. You have bigger things to worry about than me going off on some vengeance trip." Lila finalised quietly.

"I'm sorry, is this little miss know it all admittin' she was wrong?" Daryl smirked but only slightly and it disappeared too quickly for Lila's liking.

"Just next time, just ask me if you want me to stay put, don't go drugging me, it gave me the headache from hell."

"They really did a number on you, didn't they?" Daryl asked, his eyes meeting Lila's. She struggled to swallow as she turned to look out the window.  
>"I was kept prisoner, used for one thing and one thing only," She replied, causing Daryl to wince as anger swelled in his stomach, "But that was then. I'll survive I guess, I'll get over it, move on or whatever." There was an awkward silence between them for a few minutes, Daryl struggled to come to terms with what had happened to her, the thought of anyone using her like that made his neck flush red with rage and his heart try to punch its way out of his own chest.<p>

"All stitched up, try not to go climbin' any houses or shit for a while." Daryl changed the subject and Lila turned the flashlight towards the wound, looking at it and sighing.

"That is gunna be a nasty scar," Lila said quietly as Daryl placed a bandage over the top of it.

"You'll pull it off," Daryl replied, his eyes not reaching hers, instead concentrating on putting away the bandages from the first aid kit.

"I really am sorry," Lila said quietly, her eyes catching Daryl's in the moonlight.

"Quit doin' stupid shit and I might believe you," He replied, but his voice seemed lower, gentler. Just as Lila could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips, he pulled back.

"Get some sleep, we got a long road ahead of us." Daryl grabbed his things and opened the door of the truck.

"Oh…I'll help keep watch, I don't mind," Lila replied.

"Don't worry bout it, I got you," Daryl said, closing the door and walking off towards where Rick and Glenn stood, a map in front of them.

Lila lay back, finding that the second she thought of going to sleep, her eyes closed and she drifted into unconsciousness.

_It was dark and cold, she could feel the soil beneath her finger tips as she lay there. Her own clothes were torn, ripped and dirtied. Bruises patterned her skin, a pain in her back stopped her from drawing in any long, much needed breaths._

"_Bitch is still cryin'," A voice from the other room sounded, as Lila tried to claw her way into the corner. If she could just find somewhere to hide._

"_I can shut her up," Another voice replied, she recognised it this time. It was low, heavy and filled with authority. She knew as soon as she heard it that it was about to begin all over again. _

_His hands found her, grabbing her by the ankle as he dragged her out of the corner she'd been hiding in. She screamed and held onto the floor so hard her nails began to bleed. She didn't stop screaming as he ripped her clothes from her and held the knife at her throat, he turned her over, moving the knife to her back as he made one long, slow cut.. All there was was screaming. _

She woke with a jolt, a sheen of sweat covering her face and chest as her breathing grew erratic.

"You're alright," Daryl soothed as best he could, "Just me," He reassured, but Lila's eyes didn't register and she began to panic, "It's me come on, Daryl," He continued and she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his voice. His hand went to the back of her neck as he moved down to her level.

"Bad dream, can't have you attractin' walkers with all the screamin'."

"I'm sorry," Lila managed to mumble, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Here," Daryl took out a rag from his pocket and doused it in a little water from his bottle before pressing it to her neck. She tried to calm her breathing as he dabbed the moist cloth on her feverish skin.

"What the hell you dreamin' about that's made you get in a state like this?" He asked.

"Nothing important," She replied, opening her eyes.

"You're shakin', some shits got you pretty worked up, musta been some nothin'."

"I need to do something, get out of this truck, help out, anything," Lila said, forcing the rag Daryl was holding away from her as she grew anxious.

"We think we mighta found some place to go. Farm house or manor of some kind just ten miles up the road, might hold us for a while." Daryl said, his voice sounded normal but Lila took note of the worry in his eyes.

"What can I do?"

"We're headin' there now, you can help us check the place out, as long as you stick close to me and don't go wanderin' round like a lost puppy."

Soon enough the cars were packed and everyone was heading up the road towards the mystery farm house Daryl had mentioned. Lila stared out the window as they drove, enjoying the breeze on her skin. As they pulled up to the house, she grew more cautious, rolling the window up she pulled her knife out of her bag. As soon as the car stopped, she climbed out, her side stinging with the movement.

"Me and Glenn can check out the grounds, Daryl if you wanna see what's goin' on inside, make sure there's no strays," Rick ordered.

"I'll take Lila with me, check the place. If we ain't out in a half hour she's got us both killed," Daryl stated in all seriousness, Lila swung her hand into his stomach lightly.

"Chill, I was jokin'," Daryl shot her one of his trademark crooked smirks as he made his way inside the house.

"Didn't sound like joke to me," Lila muttered under her breath.

They entered the house cautiously, Lila followed Daryl just as he had asked her, although she had to fight her curiosity in an attempt not to explore the place in detail. There was something brutal about entering what used to be someone else's home, the abandoned family portraits on the walls told the story of a happy couple with a few kids. She didn't like to think what had happened to them when the end of the world was on their doorstep. Daryl set a hand in front of Lila to stop her suddenly, bringing her back to earth with a shock. She followed his pointed finger with her eyes, taking note of the sounds of shuffling and groaning. Barely visible from the hallway, was a walker – a fully grown woman who had wasted away to nothing. Just as they were about to make their way into the kitchen to take care of the stray walker, another appeared at the bottom of the stairs, black, putrid blood dripping from its decaying mouth. It's reaction seemed slower than usual, as Daryl shot an arrow straight through its head. Lila turned to find the other walker jut a foot away from her, in her moment of panic she drove her knife through its eye, bringing it to an immediate halt.

"Nice one," Daryl stated.

"Is it just me or do they seem slower than usual?" She frowned as they continued their search.

"Probably not eaten in weeks, months maybe, means this place is as good as deserted, doubt a lot of the walkers have stuck around to starve." He replied nonchalantly.

The pair exited the house fifteen minutes later, having found no more walkers, to the awaiting eyes of the group.

"Two walkers, looks like they were locked in there, stupid sons a bitches couldn't open the damn door," Daryl stated loud enough for everyone to hear.

"The grounds look secure enough, it doesn't look like a permanent settlement but it'll do for tonight, maybe tomorrow," Rick added as he and Glenn came around the corner.  
>"I'll get burnin' the two we found," T-Dog said as he made his way into the house.<p>

"Don't move all your stuff in, leave it with basics. Don't wanna get too comfortable," Rick added as the group began to disperse.

"You don't think this could keep us for the winter, building looks sturdy enough, no walkers in the area," Lila said as she and Daryl grabbed their bags from the truck. He shrugged as if uninterested.

"We have to move we'll move, don't make no difference."

The bedrooms upstairs were clean enough considering they'd long been abandoned; there'd been no looters so the pantry was filled with canned foods and the place had some running water, which despite it being freezing, was a relief.

Lila stood in one of the bedrooms, unpacking her things, or what was left of them. She fondled the radio in her hands, it had been crushed in the fight and wouldn't even turn on, never mind find a signal.  
>"Knock, knock," Daryl said from the doorway, leaning his shoulder on the frame as he chewed on his thumbnail.<br>"Things broken," Lila laughed apathetically, "After all the effort to get it in the first place." She threw the radio down on the bed and sat down, placing her head in her hands as she breathed. She felt the bed lower beside her and suddenly there was a feather light touch appeared on her shoulder, Lila turned her head to see Daryl gently rubbing the skin with his thumb.

"Don't need your sympathy," Lila smiled, "But I appreciate it." Silence overcame the room as they stared at each other, Daryl's ice blue eyes staring into hers. Before she could comprehend her next move, his lips were already on hers. His hand found its way around her neck as they pushed to get closer to one another. Gently Lila found herself being pushed further up onto the mattress, Daryl's weight above her as his tongue caressed hers. The whole thing was slow yet desperate as Daryl pushed Lila's vest up over her shoulders and tossed it aside. His mouth left hers as he allowed his fingertips to trace the bandaged wound at her side.

"Sure do get yourself in some trouble, LB," He said quietly.

Lila swallowed nervously, finding herself trembling beneath him, "I'm about to get myself in a whole lot more." She replied, finding his mouth again.

_Reviews please!_


	24. Chapter 24

_Here's a little bit of smut for you guys, I'm a little ill so not sure if it's affected my writing at all (this chapters definitely a little on the short side) but review anyways!_

Chapter Twenty Four

Lila battled to undress him, the bare skin of her breasts meeting his chest as he patterned kisses across her collarbone. He slipped his hands beneath her, lifting her up as he undid the button of her jeans, tossing them aside he kept her astride him. Their breathing was haggard and coming in short gasps as their lips battled with one another.

Daryl's hands moved down her back and she flinched away momentarily, her eyes meeting his as he took note of the rough scar tissue patterning her skin. Daryl took her hand in his and placed it on his own back.

"Same as mine," Daryl said quietly, "Nothin' to be ashamed of." He finalised as he looked up at her face, her golden blonde hair falling roughly down her shoulders, tainted with dirt and blood. Lila replied by moving her hands down his front, undoing the button of his jeans and tugging them down enough for him to spring out of them. Daryl gripped his hands on her thighs as she lowered himself down on him, each closing their eyes, their foreheads pressed together as they were overcome with satisfaction. The horror that had surrounded the past few days melted away as they moved against each other, Lila arms wrapped around Daryl's muscular shoulders, their mouths pressed together in a feverish embrace.

Lila felt herself losing control as Daryl's pace quickened, he nipped at the skin of her neck as his hands dug into the skin of her hips. Lila dragged her nails across the skin of Daryl's arms as he took her breast in his mouth, manoeuvring his warm tongue across her nipple and causing her to let out a muffled scream, her face buried in the crook of his neck. As he gave one last thrust deep inside her, she collapsed against him as she was consumed by her climax. Daryl grunted as he held onto her, emptying himself inside her before his forehead fell against her shoulder, their breathing ragged. They stayed there for a few minutes, their eyes closed as they tried to forget about everything surrounding them.

Lila rolled over, getting a shock when she realised she was in a real bed with real blankets and pillows. She frowned at the light coming in through to window as she sat up and took note of her surroundings. Images of last night came flooding back but Daryl was no where to be seen. She pulled on her vest top and a pair of denim shorts and some boots before making her way downstairs.

"Hey," She said as she entered the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey yourself," Lori replied with a smirk as she washed dishes in the sink.

Lila glanced around, trying to find something worthy of Lori's expression.  
>"Why do you look like you're hiding something?" Lila laughed, sitting down in one of the chairs.<p>

"Oh no reason…" Lori replied, "I just may or may not have caught someone sneaking out of someone else's bedroom early this morning…"

Lila hid her face in her hands as her cheeks flushed pink.

"Calm down, as far as anyone else knows I didn't see anything," She held up her hands in surrender.

"I don't want it to seem like I'm not taking this situation seriously, it's just…" Lila began to ramble on but Lori stopped her.

"Shut up, if you need something to help you sleep at night, even if that something happens to be Daryl…good. You deserve a break," Lori smiled, putting a hand on Lila's shoulder.

"I blame you by the way," Lila replied jokingly.

"What?" Lori snapped.

"You were the one that hit me with your car, made Daryl look all heroic and handsome in my time of need, totally your fault," Lila smirked as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Will you ever let that go?" Lori yelled sarcastically behind her. Lila walked outside, the heat was unbelievable considering that winter was approaching as Lila shielded her eyes from the sun.

"Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence," Glenn joked, nudging Lila's arm as he walked past.

"What you guys doin'?" She asked, taking note of the wood each man was carrying towards the outskirts of the yard.

"We're trying to secure the building a little more, get a kind of fence built around the place," Rick said as he walked over to her.

"Anything I can help with? I'm not really in the mood to sit washing clothes," She smiled.  
>"With your injury not sure you'll be much use out here," Rick replied.<p>

"What you talking about? I'm fine, it's just a scratch, plus, I might have been some lazy ass rich girl with a maid in a previous life…but I did get an A in wood shop." Lila grinned, taking the hammer from Rick's hand and sauntering over to where the pile of wood was sat. She picked up a few pieces and made her way over to T-Dog who busy hammering a nail into the part of the fence he'd already built.

As Lila kept herself busy with the fence, hammering in nails and securing it as best she could, she'd barely noticed when Daryl appeared from the nearby woods, a string of squirrels hauled over his shoulder. Lila slyly took a moment to admire him; his toned arms and sun kissed skin.

"Wanna put your tongue back in your mouth, Lila?" T-Dog laughed from beside me and I gave him a playful nudge.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," She replied with a smile. Daryl made his way over to her, a stern look causing his brow to furrow.

"What the hell you doin' lettin' her do manual labour with a wound like that," He yelled over to Rick, who looked momentarily confused, along with the rest of the group.

"Daryl I'm fine," Lila replied, a hand gently pressing against his forearm.

"You'll be fine once that hole in your side is nothin' but scar tissue for now, sit the hell down," He stated, grabbing the hammer from out of her grasp. Lila did have to admit, there was something attractive about the way he was looking out for her so obviously in front of the group. Of course the group had known that something was going on with the pair of them but seeing the confused expressions on their faces was somewhat priceless.


	25. Chapter 25

_So I struggled with this chapter, I know exactly where I'm going with the story and this seemed the best way to actually get there. Yet when I was writing it I found that even I was annoyed by my OC…I really don't want her to be whiny and annoying and trust me, some shit will be going down in the next few chapters that'll make her grow the hell up and realise she needs to look after herself. _

_Please review!_

Chapter Twenty Five

Lila pulled her vest top over her shoulders, standing in front of the mirror with only her bra and shorts on, she could hardly bring herself to turn around. She clenched her fists and turned, peering over her shoulder to assess the damage.

The scars on her back were thick with scar tissue, each running over another in a sinister pattern. She held her mouth shut, keeping herself from crying as she tried to buckle up and be strong. It was surprisingly harder than she had at first thought, since this was the first time she'd been able to look at her scars up close. Her fingers moved over her mouth, so as to stop herself making a sound but it didn't work. Instead, she just fell to her knees, her eyes still on the mirror.

"Lila," A voice from outside came, she recognised it as Daryl.

"Go away!" She shouted, her voice breaking.

"What the hells wrong with you?" Daryl questioned from the other side of the door. Lila couldn't reply, her hands fell in front of her as she held herself on all fours. She heard the door click open and suddenly he was there, at her side.

"Don't!" Lila tried to fight but Daryl held onto her wrists, holding her back. She struggled as best she could against him but it was no use. His arms wrapped around her as he held her against his chest.

"Shut up!" He yelled, "Shut up," Daryl repeated, his voice growing softer.

"I should have never left them," Lila stuttered through heavy breaths, "I should have stayed with my family, I should have listened to them."

"Not a thing can be done about that now, LB, no use sittin' cryin' over it," Daryl stated and Lila pulled back.

"Is that what everyone said about your brother?" She asked, her voice quiet.

"That was different," Daryl stated.

"I ran away from my family, I had a ticket out of this and I ran in the other direction."  
>"You didn't know it was gunna be as bad as it is, Lila," Daryl soothed, moving her hair out of her eyes.<p>

"Did anyone?" Lila asked, shaking her head, "I think I need to clear my head," Lila stood up, embarrassed by the fact her scars were entirely visible. She pulled on her clothes as Daryl stood, awkwardly watching as she put her boots on and walked out of the room. If there was one person that all this shit was breaking down, it was Lila. As much as he wanted to follow her, he let her go.

"Fine, leave!" Daryl called after her as he followed her down the stairs and out the house.

"See how long you last without someone babysittin' you!" Daryl hissed but Lila didn't turn around, she just kept walking.  
>"You alright?" Carol asked Daryl quietly.<p>

"Fuckin' peachy," Daryl replied sarcastically as he stalked off.

Lila sat down on a tree stump, attempting to catch her breath. She was about a mile away from the house and already the guilt of leaving was starting to set in. She felt stupid, ridiculous even, for running off like a spoilt child, especially with Daryl already talking to her like a kid every five minutes – telling her not to go off on some attention seeking rant. Yet that was exactly what she'd just done. Lila cursed herself for being so selfish, Daryl didn't need this shit just now; the group was under enough strain as it was trying to find a safe place to stay for the winter. She shook her head at herself as she stood up and ran her hands back through her hair, no one had time for her problems right now, there were more important things to worry about and she'd do better for herself the quicker she realised that.

As she wiped her eyes and turned to head back to camp, there was a snap of a twig behind her. She came to a halt, turning slowly on her heel as she scanned the trees surrounding her. There was nothing to be seen and the noise seemed to have vanished into thin air. Lila watched for a second but she couldn't find any threat, she had a gun held tightly in her hand. It was only when she started to walk that she was knocked to her feet, Lila collapsed in a heap, her side already burning. Suddenly she was pulled up, a man towering above her.

"Well, well, look what I found, I got her!" The man smiled, it was a wide and terrifying grin. The man held Lila by the throat and she quickly kicked him in the shin, he budged enough for her to aim her gun but he knocked her hand away, causing her to shoot three times into the air before he threw a punch at her, knocking her flat out cold on the forest floor.

Daryl frowned as he stared out into the forest, the noise had been faint but he'd definitely heard it. As Rick came up beside him, the same confused scowl on his face, worry started to build in his stomach.

"You heard that right?" Rick asked, Daryl glanced towards him momentarily.

"Loud and clear," He replied.

"Lila back yet?"  
>Daryl shook his head in a silent no, grabbing his crossbow from the porch before stalking towards the woods.<p>

"I'll come with, if it's been a few hours, no tellin' how far away she could've got. Don't know how close the shot was," Rick said calmly, taking note of the tension on Daryl's brow.  
>"Girl was stupid to go out there in the first place," He muttered.<p>

Her body slid side to side, the floor beneath her was solid and her hands tied firmly together. It was dark and the feeling of cloth on her eyelids told her that she was blindfolded. She tried to think back to the man that had grabbed her, did she recognise his face? He wasn't from the group that kidnapped her months ago, she knew that for sure…but something about him seemed so familiar. As she struggled against the restraints on her wrists she could feel the plastic digging into the skin, the flesh raw and painful. Once again Lila found that she was cursing herself for being so stupid; as always, she was the naïve little girl that Daryl had said she was. Tears soaked the blindfold as she realised that this was probably it, wherever she was going was probably the place she would die.


End file.
